I’ve been searching for a way to make use of discarded textile waste in a way that does not release toxins (from dyes, flame retardants, residual pesticides and so forth) back into our food chain. Why do I care? Because even while my business re-uses cotton by turning it into pillows, duvet covers and window treatments, I still have bags of fabric, pieces too small, worn or stained, that is waste from my process stream. It sits under my work bench, a guilty reminder that I can do more.

And, someday even the new things I make from pre-loved fabric will be someone else’s garbage.

Last year I came across this completely mind blowing video www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/jae_rhim_lee.html of artist, Jae Rhim Lee, speaking about the mushroom burial suit she created as a way to remove the many toxins from the human body after death. The process is called decompiculture.

Decompiculture was coined recently by Timothy G. Myles, forestry professor of the Urban Entomology Program at the University of Toronto, and refers to how decomposing organisms could be grown or cultured for a variety of uses, including eating our garbage.

I’ve posed the question on Twitter and Facebook the last couple weeks, can decompiculture be used on toxic textile waste? Why anyone would care to try?

In www.islandparent.ca/family/wantnot.html Beth Yim said, ‘The fashion industry presents another waste problem. Globalization has provided us with a cheap supply of clothing, so cheap that many consumers consider it disposable. There’s even a term for it: “fast fashion.”

In Canada, textile waste accounts for four per cent of materials in landfills. On average, 80 per cent of that material is still wearable. If we took all the textiles thrown into landfills in Canada in a one-year period, we could build a solid structure as wide and tall as the Skydome three times over.’

Reducing our use of textiles is a first step, as Tiffany Roschkow points out in her post www.ecolivinglondon.org/blogs/ecolifestyle/green-wardrobe-planning.

Re-use and recycling is a natural second step to deal with this giant problem. But fabric at some point after being re-used is too icky and thin, or after being recycled the fibers are too short to re-spin. So we are still left with a huge amount of textile garbage.

Researchers in India have come up with a way to compost rayon, linen, wool and cotton by mixing it with manure and letting red wigglers eat it and to turn it into compost  (earth911.com/news/2009/08/05/ – see the article by Lori Brown “Researchers Convert Textile Waste to Compost”). That still leaves the issue of toxins from the fabric being pooped out by these earth worms as part of the new soil they have generated.

Over a year ago I put some cotton in my compost bin. It’s gone but I’ve been advised not to use the compost on food plants since the plants probably absorb toxic chemicals from the fabric, which I would ingest if I ate them.

Paul Stamets to the rescue. Mr. Stemets is a researcher who has demostrated how mushrooms turn a stinking pile of toxin laced petrochimicals into non-toxic nourishment for plants and animals, and a whole new ecosystem.

www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html

Wow!

In the mean time I have stuffed my scraps into a cloth bag and am using it as a floor pillow, giving it new life until we have a decompiculture program in Ontario.

And now for a celebratory video, a murmur of starlings doing a million bird ballet:

vimeo.com/31158841

I promised to show you photos of my completed project last week. I didn’t get it done. Typical of my process. I began this project 32 days ago with a claustrophobic, stress inducing mess. Forty hours and one-hundred and fifty dollars later I have a peaceful, eco-friendly space that functions as office, mediation and yoga room.

Before

During

You sometimes have to make more of a mess to get things in order. The photo above shows the first layout of artwork, rock collection and mirrors that I wanted to hang as one large group. This phase took me almost two weeks as I matted and prepared the art work for hanging and tried out various groupings. It took all of my art installation knowledge to get the results I wanted.

Old wood, hardware, white hockey tape, silicone, acid free matting, re-purposed acrylic and mirrors allowed me to hang art that had been stored for years.

The installation is the backdrop for the shrine. Pre-loved fabric came in handy as a new cloth for the coffee table and a simple cover for the vintage wool blanket under my mediation cushions. A colourful throw and two of my contemporary cottage accent pillows on the faded chair bring a warm zing to that corner. A floor lamp brought from another room let’s me curl up now with a book and a cup of tea. And there is plenty of space to do my yoga too!

After

Clockwise from top left hand corner, is art by Alan Syliboy, Mathias Muleme, Ernest Cadigan, Laurent Schkolnyk, Catherine Zweig, Carol Wax, and Spencer Cunningham.

Paring down those things I need for administrative work was the hardest task.

Before

Files and research are in boxes (made from recycled cardboard) under my heirloom desk. Shelves next to my desk now hold the printer, eco-paper (in bamboo trays), art by Johnathon Ricci, business books, and letter writing supplies. Old crates (so versatile that they’ve been re-purposed a dozen times) are on my desk behind my computer will hold re-potted plants. I re-positioned a lamp behind my laptop and replaced the many objects on the wall with a painting of the forest floor by Tam Monk-Hilty. National Geographic provided a new screensaver: a green field on a sunny-rainy day, by Eleanne Grey.

After

It took two weeks to build a six foot tall bookshelf. It’s made of sustainably harvested pine that I purchased at Copp’s Buildall. I am very proud of this, my first set of shelves. They hold books of poetry, prose, mythology, religion, science and many years of my own writing. The art in this photo, left to right, is by Mathias Muleme, unknown, Melanie Vanden Hoven, and Ron D’Raine.

I haven’t shown all the changes. My happiest find is a huge round basket purchased for four dollars from Home Hardware that I lined with an old wool blanket. It is big enough for Levi to curl up in, or Scooter… whomever gets there first.

Needless to say (but I’m going to say it anyway) there are a few pieces of this project still to complete: several poofs for the floor made from pre-loved fabric from Goodwill stuffed with sewing scraps or clean plastic bags, thin seat cushions for my desk chair and the top of the cedar chest, re-potted plants and a window dressing.

Down the road I will reupholster the reading chair and show you the whole process, but I’ll write about it after the project is done so you aren’t holding your breath in anticipation of my next installment!

I hope you are inspired. Happy eco-decorating!

Gang aft agley,

An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,

For promis’d joy!

Excerpt from Robert Burns, To a Mouse, On turning her up in her nest, with the plough, November, 1785
Might I not gnash my teeth as I cast my eyes upon my office and yoga room, finding yet another large project unfinished on my floor and not the beautiful,peaceful space I dreamt of?

I shall not!

My inner curator told me to display all those beautiful pieces of art I have collected over the years made by friends and colleagues and artists I’ve yet to meet.

My inner kid told me to find a way to show off some of the cool rocks and bits of  bark and wood I’ve collected over the years.

My inner Scrouge told me to not pay one more cent on the means with which to display all this stuff.

My inner decorator said, “I guess this means it’ll have to have a rustic touch”.

My inner museum staff told me to use display techniques that were safe for the art work.

My inner artist told me to bring some light into the room and to make this display one big, high impact installation.

So that is what I’ve been doing this last week. Which means the rest of the floor plan has gone untended.

And now my three part series on creating a multi-purpose room that works as a peaceful office, meditation and yoga space has become four.

I promise (PROMISE!) you that next week you will get to see photos of the completed project in my last post, Decorating: In with the New (or should I say, in with the re-purposed and new-to-me?).

Don’t forget to check out my Etsy shop for items that are 50% off until January 23rd:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/goodlines?ref=ss_profile

There are new items listed all the time. Like these Love Notes decor pillows:

Let’s Start with Fixing

Saying I need to fix stuff in my office/yoga space creates an image of broken stuff all over the place. That’s not the case. But my intentions are short circuited by half completed decorating projects, jumbled work area layout, clausterphobia inducing visual clutter. Well, if the projects haven’t risen to the top of my to-do list in over a year then they are probably not very important. Right? I’ll put them and all the clutter in the garbage. With my nose to the grind stone, I’ll make do and work in a bare room. There’d be no distractions. That’s peaceful, isn’t it?

Wait! I started the projects because I wanted this room to be peaceful and beautiful! Beauty inspires me. Beauty is why I’m an artist. It’s what connects me to people who love my creations.

I remember something I learned last year: doing the things that are important to me, but not urgent, brings fulfillment.
Peace of mind is important to me. And a beautiful work environment.

What I want for myself is the same as what I create for other people, spaces that are beautiful, that are healthy, that live and breathe a sense of peace. This is very important. I could go about my business without beauty and still accomplish stuff but I know it would not be joyful and, from experience, it probably wouldn’t be done with ease.

Organizing

Notes on photos and a floor plan, with furniture shapes that are to scale, help me re-design my office/yoga room. I measured the furniture, scaled them and cut the shapes out of sticky notes so I can easily try them out in different locations. No design software required.

I considered moving my huge desk (a gift from my 85 year old father-in-law that was passed down from his father) because it is the first thing you see when you look in this room. It is usually cluttered from ongoing projects. After playing with the furniture cut-outs on the floor plan it was the only place the desk could goand allow me to still have space for yoga.

Now to get serious about making this space a less stressful work area. Because I am so visual, writing on photos helps me stay on track with my plans.

Quick Eco-Cleaning

Mini-blinds: Wrap a spatula with a soft cloth and secure with a rubber band. Dip it in rubbing alcohol and rub it over the slats in the blinds. This removes the grime that settles on them, without having to wrestle them into the tub to hose them off.

Glass surfaces (windows, mirrors, glass picture frames): Spritz surfaces with vinegar and water and wipe with a soft towel. Buff with newspaper.

Carpet: Use alcohol based hand-cleaner to remove small stains. Sprinkle baking soda all over. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. Vacuum. Fresh!

Computer: Turn it off. Vacuum keyboard and printer gently to remove cat hair and other detritus. Use a soft cloth damp with a bit of rubbing alcohol to clean the keypad and other surfaces of the computer. This method is good for your phone and other electronics.

Dusting: Here’s an old timely idea, dampen a soft cloth with water and wipe shelves, cob webby corners, base boards. For wood surfaces that are not sealed use a drop of lemon oil instead of water.

I’m making some things to add to my multi-purpose room to complete the transformation. Next week see photos of the completed project in my last post of this series, Decorating: In with the New (or should I say, in with the repurposed
and new-to-me?).

Remember, to check out my Etsy shop for items that are 50% off until January
23rd: http://www.etsy.com/shop/goodlines?ref=ss_profile

Today, we’re on a tour of my office, comparing reality against what I originally intended for this room.

My Intention
The vision for this room was that I’d conduct the administrative side of my business, plan, write, read, do yoga, meditate and occasionally play with the dog and cat here.

Reality Check

It’s the second day of 2012 and I used the past week to assess the reality of my office: I took photos and measurements, got second opinions (my husband, sister, colleagues), and compared what I found with what my intention. Important note: I did not get down on myself for being the human I am.

The Verdict

It’s a cluttered, clausterphobic mess. [Do 'cluttered' and 'mess' cancel each other out?] Mixing office and studio functions is blocking my ability to create. The cat and dog are the only ones who seem to enjoy this room.

This is difficult for me to talk about because I help other people create the spaces of their dreams:
rooms in which they can retreat, relax, sleep, eat, play, hang out with loved ones, write, read, work, work out, meditate…
rooms that remind and inspire them to follow their passions…
rooms that provide the tools,  systems and energy to move ahead with the concrete actions that make their dreams reality.

Once in a while, we can all use an honest assessment of how our spaces are working for us. My time is now.

What Happened?

I started designing a series of queen sized duvet covers and needed a large open space so I could lay everything out and see the designs as they progressed. My upstairs studio table is 4′ x 8′ and I needed at least 9′ x 9′, so I moved to the yoga area to spread out and design each new project.

Root Cause
Not sticking to my intention. Not being committed to this room always providing a peaceful environment for administrative work (which stresses the heck out of me), yoga and meditation.

Now What?
1. I’ve removed the things not directly related to the core functions of this space (like the ironing board and fabric). They are now in my studio, or if I don’t use them for art making, I’m giving them a new home (another part of the house or a totally new home).
2. Have a Studio Clearance Sale! All listings in my Etsy shop are 50% off from January 2 – 23. Gorgeous original etchings and one of a kind eco-decor can be found at www.etsy.com/shop/goodlines
3. Designate another space for large projects and furnish it with the items it needs to function properly.

Coming Up
January 9: Renewal: Eco-Spicy Cleaning, Fixing, Organizing

1. Re-commit to having this room function as a peaceful office, as well as my yoga and meditation area and put systems in place to keep it that way.
2. Sort remaining useful stuff that has not found a place in my studio, another part of my home, or been sold.
3. Create or fix organization systems for these things.
4. Organize the room so I can conduct my administrative activities with ease and pleasure, do my yoga without bumping into furniture, and meditate without too much distraction.

January 16: Decorating: In with the New (or should I say, in with the re-purposed and new-to-me?)

These satisfying slumbers I attribute to the nights getting longer and longer.
Tonight we’ll be in darkness almost 16 and a half hours! But that is the end of
that trend until next December.

I am celebrating the winter solstice today with its accompanying longest night of the year.

We’re having a small roast turkey, sweet potatoes with fennel seeds, garlicky
mashed potatoes, and tangy red cabbage coleslaw – all organic and locally grown, with the cabbage coming straight from the ‘ornamental’ border in my garden. We are sharing this meal with loved ones along with the exchange of a few gifts, some found at The Covent Garden Market: preserves from Youth Opportunities Unlimited and edible delights from The Chocolate Factory.

I’ve already received a gift from my hubby, a trip to the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada, outside of Guelph, my favourite place to de-stress and learn from these lovely calm creatures to just ‘be’. I am so grateful for all the blessings in my life.

May you also experience abundance this holiday season!

The days will be getting longer now, the temperature will drop and the snow
keeps coming until the end of March. This is a good time for indoor projects. I’m looking for something that really gets my creative juices flowing, where work becomes play. Where to start?

In the New Year people like to organize their homes, their offices, their lives. My thoughts immediately move in this direction. I think about my work spaces and office, my business plan, my home, my exercise regime… always in a state of ‘flux’ (read: organized chaos). Planning and organizing projects make me feel a bit urgent, so many ’shoulds’…not a lot of play in my attitude.

So, what can inspire me to be playful?

My dreams.

Dreams are a way to process things we struggle with in our waking lives, they re-combine what we have already experienced and give us a fresh perspective. My dreams this month have been full of ancient architecture, elegant buildings, and renovations, journeys with friends, and one where I was coaxing Zeus to come back home. Hmmm… Zeus, that prodigious top god of the Greeks who fathered dozens of other deities and demi-gods. He was the ultimate creator.

These dreams have the feel of being on a frontier, including the shakiness that comes with the unknown. They are the psychological equivalent of cleaning out my actual cupboards, closets, work and living areas, giving myself open space to breathe and relax, spread out, dream, create. Nature abhors a vacuum. That shaky feeling comes from the wide open space, the endless possibilities, the responisibility to fill the void, to be the ultimate creator in my life.

This is what inspires me, excites me: a blank slate, a room emptied of unused
things, few furnishings remain, it’s pretty stark. Immediately strong visions of what is possible fill my mind and pull me into action.

My vision: When I enter my studio I will be surrounded by everything I need to create beautiful, inspired and inspiring works of art: tools, materials, music, light, inspiring images, words, objects and people.

Come with me on my blogging journey as I re-create the spaces in which I create.

January 2: Taking Stock: Out with the Old (more like, out with the things that I don’t use anymore, that no longer inspire me…if they ever did.)

January 9: Renewal: Cleaning, Fixing, Organizing (I’ll make this phase eco-spicy.)

January 16: Decorating: In with the New (or should I say, in with the re-purposed and new-to-me?)

Cottage style decor pillows, table runners and duvet covers in earthy tie-dyed cotton. Sophisticated and luxurious to the touch.

Nature inspired textile art for your walls and windows will bring the outdoors in to your favourite rooms.

All this earth-friendly decor can be found at the Home County Folk Festival, on July 15 – 17, in London, Ontario:

http://www.homecounty.ca/

Friday, April 29, 5:00 – 8:00 pm

140 Dundas Street, London, Ontario

Please RSVP to Eventbrite before April 29 – http://themetgrandopening.eventbrite.com

OR BETTER YET:

Visit my booth on Saturday, April 30, 9am – 5pm, and Sunday, May 1, 12 – 5pm

I’ll be selling my new spring line of gorgeous hand-dyed, hand-sew decor pillows along with some funky new experiments. Curious? Come and experience it for yourself!

Read the latest about this project that is part of the rejuvenation of downtown London.

AT BOOTH #3, THE ELSIE PERRIN WILLIAMS ESTATE, 101 WINDEMERE RD. W., LONDON, ONT.