Many moons ago, I met the man who had the idea to make cotton bobbins out of plastic rather than wood (since the latter had friction problems apparently). He was quite a wealthy guy by the time I met him so I guess he made some money from the brainwave. But, of course, at what cost? After all, plastic: boo.

I don’t sew as much as I used to so it’s less of a problem but every now and then, I finish a reel of cotton and think back to that guy and his money and resent just throwing the bobbin in the bin.

Any suggestions for re-uses?

(Photo by Morrhigan)

A suggestion from Heather:

I’m so bad. Every day, I buy those prepacked sandwiches rather than making my own. Sometimes I go to Pret and buy cardboard and cellophane wrapped ones, and sometimes I go to the yummy bakery up the road and get them just wrapped in cellophone but most of the time, sigh, I have to get those standard pre-packaged sandwiches in the triangular plastic wastefulness. I do feel bad while I eat them and not just because the sandwiches are bland and tasteless yet just cost me £2. What can I do with the packaging when I’m done with it?

(Photo by Asterisco, c/o sxc.hu)

Wire coat hangers? Easy peasy of course; I often find myself craving wire coat hangers just so I can reuse them – perfect stiff but malleable wire for all sorts of household and garden uses, as well as craft stuff.

But plastic ones from shops? With those, I’m at a loose end. The vast majority of clothes I buy are super casual t-shirts & tops but the shops always try to insist I take the hangers too even though the t-shirts have “I will live in a drawer” stamped all over them (well, not literally. Except on that one shirt).

Knickers too. Who on earth hangs knickers up apart from shops? Those hangers are the worse because they’re so flimsy you can’t even reuse them as hangers around the home.

I always say ‘no, thanks’ when asked about hangers – and try to mention it if they don’t ask – but I don’t always get a chance and so we have a surplus around the house. I’m also rather sceptical about what happens to, particularly the flimsy ones, when left in the shop: am I just leaving it from them to throw away instead of me?

Sigh. So any ideas? Anyone know of any recycling companies collecting clothes hangers? Any reuses or upcycling ideas?

(Photo by Capgros)

Oh, I hate trying to photograph transparent things but oh how I love muffins. Sweet, sweet muffins with your sugar and your chocolate and your ability to crumble all over my clean white t-shirts (thanks muffin, thaaaaanks).

How I love the way you’re there for me in the morning when I want a snack and how well you coordinate with both tea and orange juice (although not both beverages at the same time, bleugh).

But how I hate your packaging: its formed plastic and its inability to photograph well. Boo! Boo!

If only there were some other uses for your packaging so I could enjoy your goodness without feeling green guilty at the same time…

(Today’s post brought to you c/o a muffin-induced sugar rush)

I know, we all hate them with a passion. But despite taking cotton bags when we go shopping (most of the time…) and using them as bin liners, we still have about seventy-nine billion plastic bags in the house.

We have two of those bag tidy things full, another load wedged between the freezer and the wall, and then ones from clothes shops and the like in the bedroom (because they’ve yet to walk downstairs yet).

What, oh what, can we do with the accursed things?
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