After working in a retail environment for many years, I have learned the value of pallets. They carry large amounts of merchandise with one fell swoop. They are often used for sorting multiple departments of boxes. However their great value, they unfortunately often end up being discarded. With lumber being such a limited resource and our forests being over “forested”, I find this most upsetting.

I came across some excellent DIY projects on the “inter-web” to make use of unwanted pallets. Some of these inspiration ideas are down-right beautiful and can be done so easily! I can not wait to get a house (and out of apartment living) just so that I can do these projects! I think they are genius! I have posted a few pics for your viewing pleasure below:

Happy hump day! We are half way to the weekend!

-ree

Awhile back, I had picked up a partial bolt of crazy paisley that I fell in love with! On one crazy thrifting experience, I had discovered this fabric for a mere $15! At the time, I had no idea what I would do with the fabric but I recently decided to take it and turn it into big girl curtains!

The windows in my living room have long been dressed with sheers that allow the light in and keep the room bright and sunny. However, movie time during sunlight was always slightly ruined by the sunny glare. So I decided to accent these three windows with these crazy curtains to shield the light and give a little “pop” to the room. I had just enough fabric to finish these three windows!

When they were all done, the sunlight seemed to make the fabric glow with all of the paisley detail light up with brilliance!

Hello all! I just wanted to keep you “in the know” and happily inform you that reeism.com is going through a ree-construction.  I will be transforming this site into a ree-cycle craft site amongst other things. This has been a culmination of my love for ree-purposing items that would normally be discarded or passed on to items that have a new use and purpose! Hang in there while we ree-invent reeism.com.

The Sounds will be releasing their new album “Something to Die For” March 29, 2011 in the United States. It will be $11.42 on www.amazon.com and available for free Super Saver Shipping. But if you really want a deal, you can preorder the vinyl or CD via the sounds official website at www.the-sounds.com. The cd will cost you only $8.99 or the vinyl at $12.00. If you are a super fan, there is a bundle available for $28.00 in which you can get their new CD, title t-shirt, and title poster. ($33 to substitute vinyl and get the other goodies)

Hopefully this album will give us something to die for like their former sounds that their other great albums display!



“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”
Sydney J. Harris

I had an interesting conversation last night about choices. I suppose the conversation led me to think about life. Or perhaps my life leads me to think about choices. Which came first…the chicken or the egg? Either way…the chicken exists…and that is what we know with certainty. So the chicken questions it’s life. Let’s call her Bertha. Bertha thinks back, recalling the incidents of her life and how she came to be the chicken she is today. Bertha has a somewhat hard life. She has had many things that she should regret, but ceases to “regret” because she realizes one important point. Life is a series of battles and struggles that when a chicken endures and overcomes, makes her that much better a chicken. I mean Bertha is great at laying eggs. That is the point of a chicken’s existence, isn’t it? Or perhaps, Farmer Joe may disagree because Farmer Joe likes to eat chicken. Farmer Joe would like it if Bertha would eat more feed so that he may bring Bertha to the chopping block. But Bertha doesn’t like to eat feed. She likes eating grass…and that keeps her trim…ultimately saving her short Chicken life. Arguably, only because Bertha is good at laying those eggs.

Bertha thinks back over her life and realizes the one regret that she could possibly have is that she chose to be the layer of eggs. (Truly it is questionable that she ever did have a choice) I mean…it is so BOOO-ring! All the sitting in that stuffy hen house with all those noisy hens! Bertha wishes that she chose a life of cock fighting. That is such a more exciting thrilling life with all of the glamor and fancy outfits! But unfortunately, she was never much of cock. She is not a cock at all for that matter! For, she was born a chicken…or hen…or whatever you want to call her. The one thing that she does know…is that Bertha loves the chair that sits in the middle of the yard. Had she had chose a different life, she may never have discovered that chair. Day after day, that chair brings her great joy…nothing brings Bertha greater joy than sitting with her beloved chair after a long day of laying eggs. Regret escapes her as she sits in her chair, as the sun shines down warming her feathers.

So that is the story of Bertha, layer of eggs.

Chaos

It is amazing how cleaning and getting rid of things can make you feel. It is an emotional roller coaster. There is a sense of peace and order and chaos all at the same time. I feel as if I get so lost in piles and clutter. I feel so disconnected from the world. Lost in the chaos. Depressed about the world and everything that gets lost in the chaos. I suppose that there are many reasons that I want to purge and simplify. Maybe I look for order and connection with the world around me.

Every time I purge a drawer I feel a sense of relief…and then i go through the five stages of grief.

1st-Denial—”I don’t have too much stuff…I need this stuff. I may use this. If I get rid of it, I will need it and not have it. ”

2nd-Anger-”What the hell…this drawer won’t close. I need bigger closets.”

3rd-Bargaining-“Maybe i can keep this if lose weight. I might fit into it in the spring. ”

4th-Depression-”I am not going to lose weight. I am too fat for this. I don’t even like how I look in this. ”

5th-Acceptance -”Fine this is going into the “give away” pile.”

God I hate purging the drawers. It always makes me feel bad…then good. What a double edged sword. And worse, I feel as if I mourn this crap that I don’t need and sometimes don’t even want it. Hmmm…today I will give away many items versus the normal one possession. Time to drop a huge pile to the salvation army. Today is a good step forward.

It has been three days since I have started my mission, and I already feel as if some weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Recently, I have come in contact with a few people in my community that have had tragedy strike their lives and been left with nothing. Once, these people had a home and possessions that were a collection of memories and sentiment, but fire destroyed all that they had. Now they are left starting over with nothing. Its been devastating for their psyche but some people have come together to help them along during this devastating time. The things that we take for granted that we use and need every day, people like my friend are left without. Life becomes difficult and it becomes expensive to put life back together to resume some type of resemblance of normal day to day life.

In response to my new mission, a good friend of mine had provided some information for one of many organizations that look to share items that they no longer need to help raise money for Lupus research. I have looked into this organization and believe that it is worth looking into for people who wish to help and share their possessions that they no longer need.

http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_donateotherways.aspx?articleid=1190&zoneid=47

Call 1-888-44-LUPUS (1-888-445-8787) or go online towww.lupuspickup.org to schedule a pick-up.

As this entry comes to a close, I send out my third possession and feel one more weight lift off me. So many days of giving ahead of me.

Today, I have decided that I am so blessed to need and want very little because I have so much that is dear to me and there are so many people in the world with nothing. I have decided to take on a new mission and share the many things that I have with others. Every day going forward, I plan on giving away one item that is dear to me as one of my possessions to someone special that is in my life.

Today I have chosen you to receive one of my possessions that I hope that you can use and cherish. If for whatever reason you do not have a need for this item, I sincerely ask that you pass it along to someone that is dear to you that may have a need for this item. In return, I ask that you pass along this message of my new mission so that more people can share things that they have with people that may be in need. My hope is that this will spread a message that all people that have too much, share with those that do not have enough every day. It is our responsibility as humanity to share when we have plenty to those that have little to none.

So many things. I am blessed. I have people I love, I have a family that loves me unconditionally, and I have very little need to want any possession because I have what I need. I see these images of people with very little to nothing. It is on the TV, when I drive down the street, in magazines, in the news and everywhere I look. I feel helpless to help the cause. Until today.

I have always wanted to be a minimalist. But I could never be a “minimalist” because honestly, I am a pack rat. I have sentimentality to everything. I save cards, receipts, ticket stubs, maps, books….you name it! If something breaks, I want to give it another purpose because I can not part with its potential for usefulness. Most of all, I want other people to see its potential as well. In a culture where we dispose of everything, I grasp at not disposing anything.

Starting today, I am venturing out on a new mission. Every day, I plan on sending one possession of mine, whether old or new, invaluable or little value to someone else that I care about. My hope is to spread a message of sharing. I want to minimize possessions, I want to share, I want to give. I plan on writing daily as I go on my journey of discovery. If you happen to receive one of these “shared possessions” and have no need for it, please pass it on with the same message. I urge others to share my mission and spread this message so that others may share in the joy of sharing and giving. Signing out.

With Much Love,

ree