Make Do ...or Do Without...


I love when someone prominent in any field (especially scrapbooking) is a proponent of the same ideals that I hold. It's like saying, "YES! Someone else gets it!" This week I love Heidi Swapp's blog posts on gratitude and on reusing material items that are already around us.

Here is Heidi's blog
http://www.heidiswapp.typepad.com/


and here is the post I love today.
http://heidiswapp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/10/fix-it-up-wear.html

It highlights an old saying from the great depression era:
"Fix it Up
Wear it Out
Make Do or
Do Without"


My great-grandmother Francis Meyer Gramlich was often known to say these four lines. I am so glad to hear they are resonating with a new generation in a new era. Americans do take up a very large footprint on the world of material goods. Perhaps we can minimize that impact --one home at a time. Let's use those Seven R's: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Refurbish. Redo. Repurpose and Renovate.

I love it. If you need a reminder to print and post in your home, Heidi has designed a lovely one! See the Make it Do sign it here:
http://heidiswapp.typepad.com/my_weblog/files/fix_it_sign.pdf

Get creative! As Tim Gunn says, "Make it Work!" ;)
Rock

Comments

Anonymous said…
I am all on the recycle, reuse,repurpose train!
I have a sign for my crops where we share and exchange our unwanted goodies...it says:

Junk & Jewels
FREE-Style
Sharing Table

Do you have something you’d like to
share, give, trade?
Embellishments, Stickers, Papers?
Leave your item here…
Take something you need!
These items are for the pages
you are working on today!
Whatever is left behind,
will return at the next crop!

In your scrap area, start with 4 bins/cans
(1) One for the trash recycling bin (2) one for non-recyclable rubbish, (3) one for your useable scraps and (4) a donate box/trade table
just my 2 cents!
Lizzy Simpson said…
I have always loved this little rhyme, and I remember my grandparents and great-aunts saying it, too. I think that in today's "disposable" society where "things" are easily gotten and cheaply gotten, the basic idea behind this rhyme is often forgotten. I am always happy to read it somewhere, and to have a chance to reflect on it once again.

Lizzy
Unknown said…
I think that this is soemthing that I have to try to live by. I´m spending too much money on stuff that aren´t filling any function. But it´s also my hobby to shop:)

Love your blog. hugs Mia from Sweden
Karen said…
Having parents who were young in the 30s, I have heard all growing up many sayings like this. It would do us all well to live as they did, especially in these tough economic times. Another saying my mom is fond of is "a woman can throw more out her back door than a man can bring in the front". Again, a reminder for our society not to be so wasteful...something I am working on in general as well as my crafting. Thanks for sharing this and to Heidi for bringing it to the forefront again.

Karen, aka ktkilpatrick@gmail.com

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