3R - Reuse

Growing up, all I knew about being "Green" was Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and that recycling symbol, too). So for the next series of posts, we're going to focus on those three items, and I picked my favorite to go first.

I love to Reuse items. This sometimes makes me a pack-rat because I look at an item and think about all the things I can do with it and then never get rid of it (I'm trying to be better about this, I really am!) One item that we seem to accumulate at our house is bags. Lots and lots of bags. Paper bags, plastic bags, you name it - we have it. Obviously we can reduce the accumulation by using reusable bags, but we'll get to that in another post. Instead, I would like to show you one of the many things you can do with a paper bag.

I'm going to use my paper bag (from a fabulous local organic store, MOM's Organic Market) to make a pattern for a pair of pajama pants for my son.

Step 1 - Cut open the bag

Step 2 - Draw your pattern

Sorry, no pictures of this phase, but you get the point.

Step 3 - Cut it out

You're done! Now you have a sturdy pattern to use and you saved a paper bag from the trash (or recycling bin, but that's another post). I like to trace patterns that I print from my computer onto a bag so that it lasts longer.

So what are YOU going to reuse this week?