Upcycle With Jem

No Sew Winter Scarves

2013-12-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

It's officially scarf weather!! So I decided to write a blog on how to make your own scarves for the winter...

First is the infinity scarf....

Here is what you will need..
1. A plain T-shirt (The bigger the shirt the bigger the scarf)
2. Fabric paint
3. Tape
4. Scissors
5. Foam Pouncer

Lay your t-shirt flat, taping down the edges. Cut a line straight across just above the bottom hem and just below the sleeves or the armpit. This will form the actual scarf so try and make the cut edges as smooth as possible.

Dip your pouncer in the paint color of your choice and start dotting.

Stamp your first row spaced however you’d like, then make the next row alternate from the first. Repeat this until one whole side of the scarf is patterned.

Now you have super cute infinity scarf for the winter!!

The next one is one of my favorites to make it's a double scarf

Here is what you will need.

1. Tape
2. Scissors
3. Two t-shirts

Tape down the corners of the shirt start cutting right above the hem line and stop right below the armpitt do this to both of the shirts. Now you just tie the shirts together in a knot or a braid however you want to tie them together will work...

The last scarf is the Loop scarf...

Here is what you will need.

1. A few t-shirts (Depending on how many colors you want to use or for size)
2. Scissors

Start by cutting off the hem line but make sure you save it cause we will be using it later.. Take your tees and cut them horizontally Right about 3/4 of a inch wide.. Each shirt should take about 8 or so depending on the size of shirt you are using..

When you are done cutting take the loops one by one and stretch it then wrap it around your hand...
Now cut the hem lines into 5 inch pieces. Now take the loops and tie them together with the hem lines. I can't wait to try this it is so cute!!

Now you have three super cute and super easy scarves to keep you warm in the winter!!

DIY Fashion Bobby Pins

2013-12-05T16:22:00.002-08:00

So you know when you go to the store and you see those really cute fashion barrettes and how they are like $4 or $5 and all you get is $4.. Well I found a easy way to take your bobby pins and make them look as good or even better!!!

Here is what you will need.
*Bobby pins
*Hot glue or super glue (Hot glue would work the best but if you don't have any super glue would work)
*Scrapbook embellishments

Take your bobby pins and your embellishment and hot glue (or super glue) them onto the top of the bobby pin and now you got super cute and super easy bobby pins!!!

CD Embellished Shirt

2013-12-05T16:19:00.002-08:00

Do you have some old Cd's you know you never are going to listen to or use? Or have a collared shirt you want to spice up? Well this is the perfect DIY for you!!

Here is what you'll need
1. Cd's
2. Scissors
3. Super Glue
4. Collared shirt

First what you will need to do is boil the Cd's for a few minutes. Cut the CD straight down the middle then you are going to wanna take the shiny clear part off the CD (You will be using the solid part of the CD's). Next you are going to cut the CD into triangles and super glue them to your collar. Now you have a super cute spiced up collared shirt and you used up some of your old Cd's..

Now you have a super cute and unique collared shirt!!

DIY Heart print pants

2013-09-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

Okay so I was on Pinterest I saw this cute DIY for pants or you could do it to shorts... Here is what you will need....

*Heart stencil
*a pair of skinny jeans or shorts
*a removable fabric pen
*fabric paint(any color you want)
*ruler
*cosmetic sponge

Start by marking your jeans to create a guide for your stencil approximately two inches apart.

Then take your paint and pour onto a paper plate use the cosmetic sponge then dab it on a piece of paper to get excess paint off and then start stenciling vertically. Reaper with the other leg. And there you go a simple cute and stylish pair of pants or shorts!!

Old T-Shirt to Stylish Dress

2013-09-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Okay so I was on YouTube and Facebook and I saw a really simple and cute way to take a plain old t-shirt and make it a super cute fashionable dress!! And I thought I should share...

Marcal~Small Steps

2013-01-08T16:20:00.001-08:00

Marcal small steps has been around for 60 years and in 2009 they changed their products to 100% line of recycled bath tissue, napkins, E.T.C. without the usual expensive cost of recycled products witch is good for the earth and your wallet.... The name small steps means how easy it is for you to make a difference... for over five decades marcal small steps has reduced landfill by making their paper products from recycled paper.. besides who doesn't enjoy the beauty of trees? i know i do especially in the fall... they help give you shade in the summer and are important for many outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, camping and many more. That is the reason why they are so passionate about saving trees. If you have a family of four in 20 years you can save over 34 trees. If you go on there website to the tree calculator you can adjust it depending on the size of your family. Here are some quick easy tips to stay green, buy fresh fruit instead of frozen it takes 10 times more energy to produce frozen fruit. don't run your dishwasher or laundry machine unless it is full this can save up to 1,000 gallons of water a year and also can save you money by running it less. If you save your left over coffee grounds you can use it as fertilizer. Turning off the lights when you leave the room can save you energy as well as money. So now that you have these quick easy tips to save the planet and money.....Start cashing in on the savings!

Recycle Christmas Cards Into Christmas Gifts

2012-12-01T20:54:00.001-08:00

If you are anything like my family, you have a stack of Christmas cards from previous years sitting around and collecting dust and not to mention taking up space. Well instead of throwing them out or leaving them to continue to waste space, you can make gifts out of them (which works great for kids to hand out as gifts too)!

Here are several ideas from BHG:

1. Christmas Card Trees

2. Christmas Card Blocks

3. Christmas Card Pinecone Ornament

4. Framed Christmas Card Silhouettes

5. Christmas Card Bird Decoration For Gift Bags

6. Christmas Gift Card Tags

7. Christmas Card Candle Holder

Apple Recycling Program

2012-04-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

A topic that is important to me and that I have done research on is recycling. One of the companies that I have researched and was impressed with was Apple.

Apples recycling starts in the design stage, where they use more compact and recyclable packaging for their products and they also make some of their products from recycled materials. For example the built in battery in there products make them last longer than ordinary computer battery which can be charged only 200-300 times compared to the Mac book pro line up can be charged up to 1000 times. The Mac book pro battery can last up to five years where a normal battery which would need to be replaced 2-3 times. That saves you money, and it helps produce less waste, and increases the lifespan of your mac book pro. Once the usefulness of your apple product is expired if you send it back to them they will recycle it properly for you at no charge.

To help cut down on waste in the landfills, Apple has setup recycling programs in colleges, cities and countries where their products are sold. Their goal was to achieve high a recycling rate and that was successfully achieved. Now their goal is to maintain what they achieved. All of Apples E-waste collected, is recycled in the region where it was collected. Nothing is shipped overseas for recycling or disposal

Apple like many other companies have started recycling programs to help reduce their carbon footprints. With this positive peer pressure, other companies who didn't even recycle can now be found recycling. Our society should've been this conscience of this problem years ago but I suppose its better late than never.

different ways to go green and save money

2012-01-03T20:45:00.001-08:00

Here are some different ways to go green and they are easy and not to mention there is a huge plus side-they help you save money!

1. Turn the lights of when you leave the room

2. Wash laundry in cold water
3. Turn off your computer completely at night
4. Pay as many bills as you can online
5. Switch all your lights to florescent light bulbs
6. Unplug Cell phone charger
7. Turn off water while brushing your teeth
8. Take a shower under 10 minutes
9. Collect water when it rains to water your plants
10. Stop using bottled water and switch to a water purify
11. Start using a clothes line and air dry your clothes it also keeps your clothes colors and it save you money.....and people wonder why all these years why we did it.
12. Use cruise control it saves up to 15% gas mileage

Recycling Quiz

2011-12-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

How many times can you recycle a can of cat food?
a. once
b. 10 times
c. 100 times
d. infinity (Answer)

Back in 1961, how much wood pulp was in a single diaper?
a. 1 gallon of wood pulp (Answer)
b. Diapers were made entirely of wood
c. 1 bushel

The Department of Agriculture found a way to make disposable diapers out of?
Leaves
News Paper

Magazine

Chicken feathers(Answer)

Every ton of new glass produced generates ...... lbs. of air pollution?

27.8(Answer)

33.1

42.7

47.3

Using recycled glass to produce new glass products reduces air pollution by .....%?

1-13%

14-20%(Answer)

21-28%

29-35%

To manufacture 85 million tons of paper, how many trees must be cut down and processed?

1.4 billion trees (Answer)

3 billion

5.2 billion

6 billion

Over 5 billion aluminum cans are recycled each year. If laid end to end, these cans would form a line reaching from?

Orlando-Miami

LA-New York

Earth-Moon( believe it or not this is the Answer)

New York-Paris

Recycling one ton of paper saves?

3 Trees

10 Trees

13 Trees

17 Trees(Answer)

For each $1,000.00 of fast food served, the solid waste created equals?

10 lbs.

25 lbs.

200 lbs.(Answer)

500 lbs.

For each $1,000.00 of fast food served, the solid waste created equals?

10%(answer)

30%

50%

100%

How many acres of forest could be saved by recycling half the world's paper?

10 million

15 million

20 million(Answer)

25 million

How many pounds of plastic are thrown out yearly by Americans?

500 million

5 billion

10 billion

20 billion(Answer)

"The Mac deal"

2011-12-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

As I was looking for my dream Apple, I'm trying to choose between the MAC and the iPad. I came across Apples recycling program. I wasn't aware of their recycle program when I ran across so I thought I would take this opportunity and share with my readers.

Apple recycles everything from MAC, PC, to batteries. They remove all components that maybe reused or recycled. The metal and glass can be used in new products. They recycle most of the plastics by using the pellitized method to turn it into raw secondary materiel. By using these methods Apple recycles/recovers up to 90% rate of recovery of the orginal weight of the product being recycled/reused. This reduces the need for raw materials which has lessens the impact on the environment......reduces your carbon footprint.

If the product you send in happens to qualify for reuse program. Apple will send you a Apple gift card in the amount that your product was valued at to use for a future Apple purchase. If it gets recycled Apple will recycle it responsibly and the best part is at NO cost to you.

Reycled jewelry

2011-12-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun ways to make recycled jewelry

How Recycling Works

2011-07-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

Go Green: Different Ways To Go Green

2011-05-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going through and checking out different companies and people and seeing how they go green. I'm going to highlight and share them with you.

If you know of a company or a person/family that isn't listed on here please send an email to aaclickb@gmail.com and put in the subject line GO GREEN!

7th Generation Fun Recycle Facts

2011-05-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hey did you know if every household in the U.S. replaced one 12 pack of 300 virgin fiber bathroom tissue with our 100% recycled bathroom tissue,we could save:

**2,000,000 trees
**720 million gallons of water a years supply for over 5,700 family's of four
5.1 cubic feet of landfill space, equal to over 7,500 full garbage trucks.

If every household would switch to 7th Generation liquid laundry soap 320,000 barrels of oil, to cool and heat 18,400 homes for a year, or  the equivalent of removing 23,000 cars from the road for one year!

If ever household would replace just one 120 count roll of virgin paper towel to 7th Generation with there 100% recycled (90% PCR) product we could save:

Over 1,000,000 trees
over 360 million gallons of water, a year's supply for over 2,800 families of four, and
2.6 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to over 3,900 full garbage trucks.



These are some of the things they do to help the earth stay green... This is why my family only uses 7th Generation products.



What do you think of Seventh Generation products?

2011-05-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm changing my blog to talk bout something that is important to me and my family: recycling.

My mom has always been a advocate of recycling. She enjoys/embraces people calling her a tree hugger and making remarks to her bout being one. Heck she even calls herself one.

At my house if you throw something away that can be recycled, you are in for a lecture bout my kid's, kid's kids. Yes, my great-grand kids and so on. That the earth needs to be cared for, that it is a living thing, that it be around if we continue on the same path as we are. My mom always brings home things that can be recycled when she is gone away.

My first time going to Micheal's

2011-04-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Dewy's friend Jameson and his mom took us out to eat at Golden Corral then took us to Micheal's Dewy Got a cool Helicopter you put together. Annuh(Anna) got a Little foam dresser that you put together with butterflies on it, I got a Pottery set. It was so fun making the pottery i could do forever... It is a long process you have to make it then you have to let it dry for a day or two then you sand it then you need to wipe it down with a dry cloth and then you get to paint it. it is a long process but it is so fun.Dewy and Annuh keep telling me that it takes to long and i should have gotten something else. I like to think it as They got one day of fun and I got more days of fun!! P.S. Do not put it on your face it itches but it makes your face smooth and soft...

My Bike Ride With My Brothers

2011-02-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

I had an exciting fun weekend when my brothers and sisters came to visit. It was the first time we were all together since I was the ripe young age of 5. We had fun taking pictures, hanging out and picking on each other.

Sunday Morning, my brother Ricky wanted to go for a bike ride so Dewy, Bryon and myself went for a bike ride with him. Though before we could leave we had to pump air in the tires. We hoped the air would stay in the tires...No one wanted to walk their bike back.

First we rode by the boats then we rode to the bridge on Russel Creek Road and that's where a very small boat was sunk a long time ago. Depending on the depth of the water is how much you can see of the boat. Funny my mom didn't even know that it was there. Guess she needs to go a little slower in life so she can enjoy the cool things.

My brother Dewy never ever likes to go on long bike rides so we had to take him back home and drop him off. The rest of us kept on stopping and looking at boats and looking at houses saying "Boy American Pickers should come here." Then we went down another subdivision, Then they took be me into the woods three times(trust me not as much fun as you would think it would be). You never ever know where those two boys will take you. Tho, I know I'm safe with them according to my mother but one has to wonder...heheheheteeheee

We had a race back to the house. It was fun! The results of the race: First place was Ricky (not fair since he has won a bike in a bike race), Second place was Me (Jem) I was amazed, and last but not least Third place was Bryon........

We had a good time can't wait to have all my brothers and sisters together again! Love having a big loving family.

What We got for Christmas

2011-01-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

My Favorite five things I got for Christmas~

1. My Jacket-It has peace signs all over it in bright colors on black. It so RoCkS!
2. My Jewelry- Ok What gurl doesn't love jewelry?
3. We got to stay with my big sis Teya. She just got back home from over seas. Her return home was the best gift ever:)
4. We saw Tosh, Bryon, and Kip! I love my family!!!
5. My Pants- I got skinny jeans and jeggins!!

Annuh's favorite things she got for Christmas~

1. Her Zhu Zhu pets- They are awesome lil pets. They act like real animals but don't cause the mess like them!
2. Her John Cena poster that was personally signed:) She has been a huge fan since she was 22 months old!

Dewy's favorite Christmas Thing~

1.Movies!!!

Aryie's favorite Christmas Things~

1. Signing Time- Now if she only talked with just her hands....
2. Zhu Zhu pets- She loves them!

Please share your favorite Christmas presents!

Sharing A Bedroom With Annuh

2010-12-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

Sharing a room with my sister Annuh.
The list of things that get annoying (To make it short I will only list three.)
#1. She complains about the littlest things which are so annoying and they don't even matter.
#2. She messes in my stuff and usually ruins it.
#3. She always, always denies everything!! When I know she did it.

Know some of the good things
#1. I always get to choose what to watch
#2. I Got the top bunk!!

P.S. The good thing list I did not cut short just the annoying list...

Leah

2010-11-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

One day while we were in MI we stopped by best friend Leah's house, and I was so happy to see her. I have known her since I was 10 months old and I'm 2 months older than her. I spent the whole day with her on Sunday. I got there at 9:00am and left at 6:45pm. We made some videos, talked, and played some other games. I got to have breakfast with them. They had Cinnamon rolls Yum!! When I moved away we did not do a good job at staying in contact. This time we will do better.... I wish I got to spend more time with her. Leah and I are so much alike still after all of these years. We always wished we lived closer or even better yet, sisters! Or even better that twins!!

P.S. If you think I am crazy wait till you meet her!!! SSHHHHHHHHH!! I wish there was more Hours in the day when I am with her. Time passes by faster when I'm with her..... It was so much fun playing with her again. I hope to see her soon....

Meeting New Friends.....

2010-06-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we play on the beach For about 30 minutes. We tried making a sand castle but that did not work out. So we walked on the beach for awhile. Annuh and I played in the water and Annuh fell three times in the water! It was funny until I fell in the water. After that we headed back to the condo and Annuh and I cleaned up while Ness made lunch. After that we went to mom's friend Michelle's house. She had a son named Ben who taught us how to play volleyball and pool. We also played basketball and watched some t.v. until Dinner was done. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, and pigs in a blanket. It was delicious!!!! We got there at three'ocolck and left after 8:30.We had a blast :+} :+} :+} :+} :+}!!!!! I can't wait until we moved there, we will live just around the corner.

A History Place

2010-06-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

When we were in Morehead City, NC we went to the museum called A History Place. It was sooooOOOooo cool! I learned that back then when they used to call the alphabet object lessons.

There was this one girl whose last name was Piggot. She had a dress with pockets underneath it. In the pockets she carried 1 pair of boots, 2 T-shirts, a few dresses, 4-5 pounds of candy ,a few razors, sewing cloth, sewing pins, and other things. It's kinda like Anessa's purse except Nessa had a Mary-Kate purse but that's another story.

They had a sewing area they had old sewing machines from the 1970's they also had a iron that was as big as Aryies' baba (binky, passy). They had art work also a kitchen area from back in the day. It had an old apple peeler in it. Dewy was talking to he lady at the front desk she showed us some brouchers where we can get a tour on a old world war ship and one for a history day camp me and Dewy are going to do this July. Perfect for us since we are moving in July. When we start we get one T-shirt, a cap,a bottle of water, one snack, and a journal with a pen, and at the end of camp we will do a play and one story from everyone journal's will be published!!!! Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting to See old Friends.....

2010-06-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

We are driving to Michigan to see my old doctor his name is Doctor Merchetta he's done surgery on me twice so I am not very scared anymore.

We are staying with one of my best friends Makailliea I can't wait to see her. Staying with her is going to be the best thing about going to Michigan to have my surgery.

We are going to be staying with her. We will be staying there for about three weeks. My mom will only be able to come for a week. We are going to meet up with Tosh, Bryon and Kip in Michigan. I can't wait. it has been over 2 yrs since I seen Bryon. I can't wait. They will follow us back to North Carolina. They are moving back home.

I can't wait till we go to Michigan to see old friends again. It will be so much fun. Though I'm not looking forward to the drive. Anessa will drive. Aryie will cry, Dewy and Annuh will watch TV. We all will want to know how long the trip will be and how much further before we are there. But when we get there we will have so much fun. I'm excited.

My Easter Sunday Surprise.....

2010-06-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday we had an Egg Hunt on the beach, which was our third Egg Hunt at the beach. Celebrating Easter at the beach was so much fun.

We went swimming, on Easter. Taneah took me out to far and I started to drown because water got in my ears and I stated screaming. The water was going into my ears caused such horrible pain. Mom told me to stop being so dramatic. Instead of swimming I put my hands over my ears and yelled. My ears hurt so bad.

On the way home we stopped at McDonald's it was the most coolest one I have ever seen it had a T.V. with a sitting area so you can relax and drink your coffee. It was so clean it had a kids play area with video games.

When we left my ear started to hurt mom and Anessa thought I had swimmers ear. Anessa gave me some Tylenol. My mom put cotton in my ears when we got home because they were draining and blood was coming from them. The next day me and Annuh and Anessa went to the doctor's to have our ears looked at. It turns out I have a very very bad middle ear infection the doctor said I was lucky to make it through the night!! They put me on two medications. Annuh had ear inner infection so she got ear drops. I hate this infection it hurts really bad sometimes!!!

My mom was upset when they doctor said I have holes in my ears from my tubes. They told her my ears were healed. They also have never said anything about me have holes in my ears all this time. I got my tubes out when I was 4. I'm going to have to have surgery to fix my ears. I'm hoping that I don't have hearing loss from it. My sister Taneah as slight hearing loss in her ear from her tubes. I will be happy when I no longer have to worry about my ears and the pain when I swim...