30 Green Things To Do

1. Utilize curbside recycling
2. Reduce plastic bag consumption
3. Buy secondhand clothing & household items
4. Learn organic gardening
5. Reuse boxes for storage
6. Buy products with reusable packaging
7. Snack on SunChips with the compostable bag
8. Drink Capri Sun & turn in pouches to Terracycle
9. Remove as much plastic from kitchen as possible
10. Stop buying so many paper plates
11. Make wall art with photo greeting cards
12. Reuse plastic container lazy susan as picnicware
13. Let the kids create things from the recycling bin
14. Use the blank side of school papers as notepads
15. Buy organic food
16. Eat less meat
17. Turn a favorite hobby into an eco-friendly one
18. Read about greener living
19. Wash full loads of laundry in cold water
20. Use fragrance & dye-free laundry detergent
21. Make natural cleaning products
22. Avoid air fresheners & spray perfume
23. Buy phthalate free children's hair & body wash
24. Recycle toxic nail polish & buy safer alternatives
25. Participate in Earth Day activities
26. Remember to take reusable bags into the store
27. Don’t buy plastic products with PVC
28. Take shorter showers
29. Read all ingredient labels
30. Spread the word and educate others

Try one thing or try them all. If one of the green things to do isn't for you, move onto the next and try again at a later time. My family went almost two full months without using paper plates, but life is hectic and I hate doing dishes (we don't own a dishwasher), so we still use an occasional paper plate or two or four. That's okay for now. We are trying to be better than we used to be and that's what matters.

What green things do you do?

You may also be interested in:

• 11 ways to be an eco-friendly scrapbooker
• Scrapbooking with DCWV's recycled cardstock
• Kitty litter + newspaper + decoupage = Scrapbooking storage

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4U.com!

The Retweetables: Just for scrapbookers

Scrapbooker. Memory Keeper. Family Historian. Do these labels mean something to you? I hope so, or you are definitely in the wrong place. And if you like using photographs and paper (real or virtual), then you must be "snap happy" like my daughter was in the above scrapbook layout (the trees are made from DCWV recycled paper). If this is your first time here, welcome to Scrappin' Memories 4U!

Scrapbookers have a way of being friendly and encouraging. They are a group of people that love to create and document life. I am proud to be a member of this wonderful group and I'm sure you are too. When I signed-up for Twitter last year, I really got a chance to see the vast array of talented men and women who love to scrap. Every single day, my Twitter friends inspire me in so many different ways and I like to keep some of their tweets safe and accessible, the reason why I started my weekly #Retweetable post. I gather together the tweets that interest me, weed out the duds and then "Retweet" them here, thus, they are #Retweetable. (I may or may not have started the retweetable hashtag, but I sure like to think I did.)

The Retweetables are a collaboration of scrapbooking and craft-related tweeters (tweeps, twitterers, tweeple, do you have a favorite one?) that tweet good stuff.

Drum roll please...

Say hello to 8 #Retweetable scrapbookers (and companies that are talking about scrapbookers):

1. @jenniferswilson: Are you in need of some scrapspiration? http://bit.ly/b7p88B #scrapbook #digiscrap

2. @HacerScrapbooks: Look everybody!!! Here's the link about Perfect Paper (#scrapbook paper designed by @LoadOfScrap): http://bit.ly/9ZHlBy

3. @loadofscrap: Should u Tweet with #Scrapbook or #Scrapbooking? I Answer the hashtag question in my latest Load of Scrap blog  http://bit.ly/aDw4GZ

4. @scrappinmichele: Giveaway: Easily Create a Digital Scrapbook with Shutterfly — Scraps of My Geek Life http://f.ast.ly/BKGsn

5. @Consumer_Crafts: Love scrapping vintage photos? Lisa Falduto has a great layout to share: http://fb.me/HJYWJV4e

6. @NancyNally: In-Store Scrapbook Sales for Week of 8/22 to 8/28 http://dlvr.it/46PSv

7. @BeckyHigginsLLC: 10 back-to-school photo ideas. http://tinyurl.com/2bmvhf4

8. @scrapbookcom: Innovative ways that people just like you, have organized their Scrapbook Rooms...http://ow.ly/2r0eu

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4u.com! Follow me, @OhioDanielle on Twitter, to stay updated on all my #Retweetable posts and if you are into the "going green" movement, check out my other profile @ecoScrapbook.

You may also be interested in:

Things I've learned on Twitter

The Retweetables: A recap and farewell (don't worry, The Retweetables are back) 

The Retweetables: A #retweetable recap

Welcome New Blog Banner: My Picasa Creation

snap. scrap. blog. tweet. That's what I do here on my little blog. It seems like my entire online existence is a result of having Twitter on my BlackBerry, which began at the end of 2009. I launched my blog in January 2010 and today, I finally have a real header thanks to the Clover Lane blog and Picasa.

If you are not familiar with Picasa, it's Google's free photo editing software, and I have come to love how I can easily organize and edit all my photos. Another great thing about Picasa is that with a click of a button, I can add a photo directly to my blog or upload a movie to YouTube.

So back to my newly created blog banner...Each individual box is actually a cropped photo that I took looking up at the clouds and sun. I added the text, saved each photo, created and cropped the collage and finally, exported it and added the collage photo to Blogger.

I bet you want to know exactly how to do this. The link to that fabulous tutorial on how to easily create your very own blog banner using Picasa is right below:

A Tutorial on How To Make a Blog Banner Using Picasa Instead of Something Fancy and Complicated Like Photoshop

Good luck!

The Retweetables: Back to School!

It's that time of year again...Parent Vacation Time! Stay-at-home moms and dads get to pack up their children, send them to school and then sit back with a margarita in hand to read a book. A parent can dream, can't she?

Since it is a new school year and summer is practically over, I've decided to bring back my weekly #Retweetable post. Each week, I compile a little list of tweets that I spy on Twitter and share with you, my lovely readers, here on my blog. Most of the time, the Retweetables are fun and crafty individuals that like to do fun and crafty things and then tweet about them. Occasionally, I add in other Retweetables that tweet good stuff that may or may not interest you, but I find them useful, like this week's list...


1. @StaceyKann: Love these cute crafty ideas for folders & an everchanging scrapbook binder for DIY School Supplies from @mommyonashoe http://t.co/tgyDgGH

2. @lanies9: Scrapbook page ideas: First day of school http://dld.bz/fxZt

3. @955thewolf: Tips on keeping your children safe: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=4320

4. @ABCOfire: Parents! Check out @KidsLinked "Sleepover Tips to Keep Your Children Safe"  http://ow.ly/2rNRl

5. @bellasera507: Great lunch box ideas! http://www.blogher.com/great-lunchbox-ideas-20102010-school-year

6. @safemama: New! Back To School Non Toxic Lunch Giveaway from MightyNest! http://bit.ly/90Yc5y

7. @pintsizesocial: Looking for tips for school lunch? check out @DinDinsFood @ThermosBrand @lunchbot @kleankanteen http://bit.ly/clTGVy

There you have it. A little list of tweets to start off the new school year. Follow me, @OhioDanielle on Twitter, to stay updated on all my #Retweetable posts and if you are into the "going green" movement, check out my other profile @ecoScrapbook.

You may also be interested in:

The best eco-friendly school supplies

The new way to scrapbook school memories

The Retweetable: Randomness

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4U.com, where photographs and paper collide to bring you scrappy and bloggy goodness.

ele.ment.ary is here!

WHO: ele.ment.ary

WHAT: A new kit by MemoryWorks!

WHEN: NOW!!

WHERE: My MemoryWorks Store

WHY: To make scrapbooking the school years

EASY and FAST!

This kit looks like a lot of fun and I can't wait to get my hands on one. Ordering starts today and there is sure to be a huge response after a successful launch of the first Simple Stories kit: Life Documented. Visit the Simple Stories blog to learn more about ele.ment.ary and get access to FREE digital downloads!

You may also be interested in:

How-to scrapbook with MemoryWorks Simple Stories scrapbooking kit

A Simple Stories Creation: 3 years of Life Documented 2007-2009

Nail Polish Drive Update: What's in your nail polish?

UPDATE: I'm proud to announce that my daughter has collected approximately 225 nail polish bottles to donate to Chemwise, Inc. We've been storing them in a sealed recycling container that gives off a noxious smell upon opening, after all, it contains bottles filled with toxic chemicals. My daughter is currently accepting donations and looking for sponsors to pay the $.35 cent per bottle recycling fee. If you would like to help her out, please email me at scrappindanielle (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you!

The original post...

What's in your nail polish? Do you know there are chemicals in nail polish that can cause birth defects and cancer? Here's just a few:

Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP): An ingredient that stops nail polish from chipping and causes damage to a baby boy's reproductive system.

Nitrocellulose: Once used in automobile paint and also known as "gun cotton" in the fireworks industry.

Formaldehyde: A cancer causing ingredient that is associated with allergic reactions and asthma.

Toluene: A petroleum-based solvent known to cause cancer and can damage the immune and reproductive systems.

Should you be concerned that you are putting chemicals on your nails? That is up to you to decide.

Should you be concerned that these harmful chemicals can end up in the landfill? Yes! And you can do something about it!!

Gather together any old or unwanted nail polish bottles and take them (you can ship them too) to your local disposal facility. One place to check-out is Chemwise, a chemical recycling and disposal facility. Priti NYC, an organic nail polish company, has teamed up with Chemwise to offer a nail polish recycling program and participants can receive 15% off their next online purchase. Click here for more information.

My daughter and I have started our own nail polish drive and have placed a donation box inside her school. I encourage others to spread the word and start their own community-wide nail polish disposal collections.

The goal of our nail polish drive is to raise awareness of the harmful chemicals hiding in products that we use everyday and to let people know there are ways to dispose of these products properly. Safer, non-toxic nail polish alternatives are available and include OPI Nail Lacquer, Priti Nails non-toxic nail polish (kids collection), Spa Ritual Lacquer, Safe Nail Polish, and Honeybee Gardens WaterColors.

You can learn more about the ingredients in nail polish and other cosmetics by referring to the articles/sites below:

• Avoid the 'Toxic Trio' of Ingredients to Get Greener Nail Polish (Discovery's Planet Green website)
• Getting the Gloss on Eco-Friendly Nail Polish (EcoSalon.com)
• Nail Polish Ingredients - Should We be Worried? (GreenFootSteps.com)
  
• Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database (Environmental Working Group)

You found this article at http://www.scrappinmemories4u.com.

What Shark Week, scrapbooking and my husband have in common

Shark Week is here and I always think of my husband, a shark fanatic. When we were kids (and didn't know each other), we both wanted to be marine biologists and dreamed of swimming with dolphins, sharks and other sea life. It's no surprise that we chose to go to Florida for our honeymoon to try to spot some sharks.

It's been almost ten years since this photo of my husband was taken. We were headed back to shore on a small cruise ship after an exciting night of 35' waves. We didn't see any sharks, but there were plenty of people puking and we spotted a whale of a behind after a gust of wind blew up a woman's dress. We weren't whale spotting. We wanted to see a shark, not a big behind. Yet, we still had fun and will always have an interesting story to tell.

A year later, 2001, there were plenty of sharks swimming along the Florida coast and of course, we immediately bought plane tickets to spend our second honeymoon in a sunshiny state. I would love to say that we had a close encounter with a shark, after all, who doesn't love a good shark attack story, but unfortunately, I don't. I can tell you that yes, we did spot two fins near the beach. Were they sharks? Not positive. We weren't about to take a swim to double check. Would you?

About the scrapbook layout: The title, sun and waves were all hand-cut using my EK Success scissors and a craft knife. There is a hidden pocket behind the photo with a small mini book. (Please note that the photo quality is poor since I created the layout several years ago and photographed it with a 35mm camera. I no longer have the original layout so I am unable to take additional shots.)

Mini Book, front:

Mini Book, inside: