I recently read an article that said plastic grocery bags take 1000 years to decompose. 1000 years! The same article also explained that leather shoes take a mere 25-50 years. Plastic bags take 20 times longer to decompose than leather! That is astounding to me. This really got me wondering what people out there are doing to reclaim plastic grocery bags. Until I stumbled upon…

PLARN.

Has anyone ever heard of it?

Supplies you’ll need:

20-25 clean grocery bags*
Plastic crochet hook, size 6.50mm K**
Scissors

*Tip 1: When choosing bags for your plarn, consider color and texture. Try to keep all the bags for the project the same density: some bags are stretchy, some are crunchy. It’s best to keep your plarn consistent to achieve a good overall effect. When considering color, think about combining different color plastic bags to create a pattern of color, random color changes, or even create a look that doesn’t reflect plastic at all. For example, brown plastic bags can look like raffia and not at all like the original material when crocheted.

**Tip 2: While the pattern calls for a certain size crochet hook and a specific number of rows to stitch, there may be variation in your project due to the tightness of your stitches or the density of your plarn. Don’t feel like you have to follow the pattern to the letter. The number of rows in your project can differ from the pattern. The goal is to create a tote that is almost a perfect square, but not quite. You’ll know when you’ve stitched enough rows when the height of your project measures slightly less than the width before you’ve started crocheting the handles. This way you can use whatever size hook you’re comfortable with, stitch as many rows as you need to make your tote look nice, and have fun doing it!

Directions:

1.  Flatten out your clean grocery bags and fold them in half. Cut off the handles.
2. Cut off the bottom of the bags. Place these cut off pieces into a pile for the recycling bin.

3. Flatten out the round piece of plastic you now have and fold it in half. Fold that into thirds. Fold that in half again. Cut this folded piece into 1 inch pieces, discarding the pieces from both ends. I often layer 3 of the flat pieces and fold and cut them up together to save time, since we have so many bags to do. You can also cut them quickly on a cutting board with a rotary cutter and metal t-square.
4. Now we have created plastic loops that can be connected to create the plarn. Bring one loop through another.

5. Pull the other end of the loop through the end you just put through the first loop. They should now be connected.
6. Slowly and with finesse, pull the loops tight. You want that connection to be as flat and smooth as possible. If your loop is weak and breaks simply put it in your recycling pile and go on to the next piece.

7. Wind your plarn into a ball that feeds out of the center.
8. Create a slip knot and place it on your crochet hook.

9. Chain 20 stitches.
10. Stitch half double crochet for the body of the bag.

Tip: Make your stitches loose! You will become frustrated if your stitches are too tight. Do yourself a favor and keep it loose.

11. Crochet the tail in as you work.
12. Work in the round. No need to chain and turn, simply continue into the next stitch for the entire project.

13. After 4 rows of half double turn your work. It’s now right-side-out and you will continue working to left instead of to the right like before you turned it.

14. Complete 14 rows of half double crochet. If your stitches are tighter or looser you may need to do more or less rows. The goal is to have your bag slightly wider than it is tall at this point.
15. Now you will use single crochet. Do 6 stitches of single crochet.

16. Now you’re ready to make the first handle. Chain 20 stitches. Hold it up to the bag and see how you like that length. Want longer/shorter handles? Simply chain more/less stitches. Be careful not to twist your handle as you’re chaining. Count 8 stitches from where the chain started on your work and attach your chain to the bag with a single crochet stitch.
17. Stitch 12 single crochet stitches around to the other side.

Tip: Feel free to alter the pattern. Make the handles longer, the bag wider, more flowers. Be creative!

18. Now you’ll make the other handle. Chain 20, count 8 stitches along on your work, and attach the chain with a single crochet stitch, just like you did on the other side for the first handle. Make sure they look even. If not, find the place where they are even by holding the chain up to your bag and attach it there.
19. Now simply stitch single crochet all the way around and onto the handle, stitching into your chain stitches.

20. Continue stitching into your chain stitches, widening your handle.
21. Continue using single crochet and stitch along the other handle.

22. Stitch a few more single crochet stitches until you’re at the fold of the bag and the top looks even. Slip stitch and finish the ends off by hiding them in the stitches on the inside of the bag.
23. Attach the flower. Enjoy!

Pattern:

Abbreviation Key:
ch = chain stitch
ss = slip stitch
sc = single crochet stitch
hdc = half double crochet stitch
dc = double crochet stitch

Instructions for the Plarn Tote, for the crochet-inclined
ch 20.
Stitch hdc in the round. Crochet the tail into your work.
After 4 rows hdc turn your work right side out. Continue working hdc to the left now.
Complete 14 rows hdc.
Stich 6 sc.
ch 20. Count 8 stitches on your work and attach your chain with sc.
Stitch 12 sc.
ch 20. Count 8 stitches on your work and attach your chain with sc just like you did on the first side.
Stitch sc around and onto the first handle.
Stitch sc along the handle.
Continue sc around to the other handle.
Stitch sc to edge. ss and finish ends off by hiding them in the stitches on the inside of the bag.

Attach the flower.

Instructions for Flower
ch 4.
ss into first stitch to make circle.
work 10 sc around circle, crochet tail in as you work.
join by ss into first sc.
first petal: into first stitch do sc, 3 dc, sc. ss into next stitch.
repeat petal stitches 4 more times to make five petals.
ss into last stitch and finish by hiding ends in the back.

All photos and instructions from Montclair Made found on Etsy.com. You can find the original How-to post on Etsy.

Thank you Montclair Made for the great ideas!

So we have been busy bees over the past few weeks nd we have a few extremely exciting announcements to make here at Reclaimed.

Announcement #1

Jess and I have been busy and excited over the past couple weeks….we are reaching the homes stretch in school, and are almost college graduates! We were able to meet with Jill Knight of Jill Knight photography yesterday and take some amazing graduation photos. It is pretty neat that after all this time (we are on the 6 year graduation plan), we are finally almost finished, and we get to go through it at the same time together.

Announcement #2

We have been hard at work behind the scenes working on some really fun surprises for Reclaimed. You might notice a few changes happening over the next couple months, and we can’t wait to show you what we have been up to! Keep your eyes peeled for sneak peaks and announcements over the next few weeks.

Announcement #3

We are having our first ever Blog Party at Reclaimed! We can’t wait for everyone to join in and show off their spaces for fall. So… are you ready to link up your spaces? We can get pretty rowdy around these parts so makes sure your up for it…and let’s get this party started! Feel free to share everything from Halloween costumes and jack ‘o’ lanterns, to interior and exterior fall decorations. We are excited to get inspired by everyone’s creativity and share some wonderful ideas with each other.

To kick things off. Here are a few pics of our some of the things we have done in our home to welcome both Halloween and the Fall season.

We really focused on finding things we had around the house this year and re purposing them. Here you can see Liquor bottles, old books, and a silhouette of a “mystery” person we found at a garage sale a few years back.

I edited the photos a little in Photoshop to try and make them a little bit more spooky. Hopefully they look scary .

This is our first time doing an Inlinkz Party so we are excited to learn how it all unfolds. Here is how it is supposed to work.

1. Post the link (click on the “Click to view/add link” button below) to your fall and Halloween blog post by midnight on Thursday November, 4th.
2. Then starting on Friday you can come back and vote on your favorite!
3. Voting will continue through Monday November 8th, at which time the votes will be tallied and the winner of the 2010 Reclaimed Fall Blog Party will be crowned!

We can’t wait to see what everyone is doing to spruce up their home! Also be sure to leave a comment and let us all know what you have planned for your Halloween costumes tomorrow night. Be sure to be safe and have a very Happy Hallow-Green!

See you soon.

Last night was a special night for me. Jess took me to see Tenth Avenue North in concert! They are my favorite band! For those of you who have never heard of them they are a christian band who last year won the Dove Award for new artist of the year.

I know I can tend to joke and play. At times I may seem carefree with my words. But today I feel the need to share something a little more deep and real to my heart. This is a self reflection post rather than a Reclaimed one, but for some reason I was still so moved to share it with you all. It is by no means intended to offend, persuade, or impose. For those that know me, I fear it is obvious that I strive to have the answers. I enjoy talking with people, I enjoy helping people, and honestly I enjoy having the answers for people. The truth is that I don’t have the answers. All this time when I thought I was consoling, educating, and informing, the real thing echoing from my lips was arrogance and denial. Is it true that in conversations about life, business, money, relationships, and God, deep down my goal is to teach others a lesson? To show them how smart I am? To prove that I read a textbook with a definition and am educated on the topic? Who am I to think that I could possibly be the band aid for others problems or questions? Who am I trying to fool by reacting to anothers emotions with my empty words?

Maybe the truth is that I depend on the ideal of superiority in order to make myself feel like a mighty man. I know I talk about warm cozy blankets, vintage decor, and mid century design, which understandably may not be for the male audience. However, if we do have any male followers out there perhaps you know what I am feeling. I make every attempt to show no vulnerability, as if it is  a sign of weakness. As a man it is said that we need to be strong. Watch football. Drink beer. Shed no tears. And women; you know we are never wrong so there is no reason for us to apologize. Maybe, just maybe, I can put away my pride for a fleeting moment and openly admit without reservation that my strength comes from the Lord. Cue the hand covered gasping mouth – “did he just express his passion for Jesus?” What will people think? How will they perceive me? I believe that until we can admit that. Until our spiritual leadership takes the center stage and we accept Christ as our lord and savior, we aren’t mighty men. Quit the opposite. we are hiding behind the fragile walls of glass that we build up around us. A couple weeks ago our church service included this message, and I would love to share it with you.

It wasn’t until last night listening to Mike (the lead singer from Tenth Avenue North) speak that this message really hit home to me.  I put on a front and strive for accomplishments in order to prove to myself and everyone around me that I am not a failure.

I’ve learned that as Christians it isn’t our job to have answers, we need to seek compassion. Which, if I’m honest, up until last night I never really knew what the true meaning of compassion was. According to the dictionary the word compassion is from Latin meaning “co-suffering.”

…And that’s why God tells me to feel it before I try to fix it. “Weep with those who weep. Rejoice with those who rejoice.” That’s what I’m called to do. Before I try to know everything and have a solution for everything and everyone, first I need to learn to sit down and weep with people. Before I try to put a band aid on their wounds, I need to actually feel the wound myself. I mean, isn’t that what Jesus did for us? He felt before He fixed. He hurt before He healed. He became flesh and dwelt among us.

- Mike Donehey Tenth Avenue North

Why not let our walls fall, shove our pride aside, and realize that Jesus is and will always be above our successes and below our failures. It isn’t our accomplishments nor our deficiencies that define us. It is the compassion that we have for others that reveals our fathers love for us.

..And so, this changes things. This means that it doesn’t matter how much Scripture and philosophy I know, what matters is what I do with it. Ironically, having a lot of information about Jesus can often be the very thing that keeps us from Him. We delude ourselves into thinking that Jesus is nothing more than a fact on a page. An idea to comprehend, a moral to ascribe to. And believe me, He’s much more than that. He is our life, our breath, and the pulse within our veins. He is before, behind, and all around. Over. Underneath. Inside. In between.

- Mike Donehey Tenth Avenue North

So for me this is where the healing begins. Thank you Tenth Avenue North, Matt Maher, and Addison Road for a great performance, powerful music, and life changing scripture.

Yesterday we celebrated three years of being married! We can’t believe it has been that long since we said our vows. Marriage has proven to be everything and more than I could have imagine. Marrying the man of my life has made my world so much more enriched. I know that together, with God and our family we can celebrate many more joys of marriage for years to come.

Even though we were not supposed to get each other anything I came home from work last night to a little Anthro bag sitting on the counter. Mr. M smiled and said go ahead. Inside this is what I found.

The traditional three year anniversary gift is something leather. Mr. Manhattan explained that to him this represents leather (he thought I would like this too much to pass up on). Leather is durable, warm, strong, flexible resilient and in many ways associated with deep comfort, like a solid, rewarding married life.

“I promise to always give you the better half of the sandwich.”

I love you,

This last week was rough…Ok, it was more than rough. Just super tiring and overwhelming really.  I feel very thankful it’s nothing more than that. Just a lot going on. Which I know you all can relate to.

Luckily, Saturday we were refreshed, revived and re-inspired! Mr. Manhattan and I were invited to be a part of the Domestic Bliss Anniversary Party! What could be better than spending the whole day in our favorite stores FOUND and Domestic Bliss (we like to play house and pretend like we live in FOUND when we visit!) The party was to start at 8:00 am. We arrived a few minutes after 8:00 to see the store filled with smiling women walking very fast… all in one direction! To the basement!!! Saturday was a very special day because Dan and Kristin opened up their basement for the public to shop! You can only imagine the finds that were FOUND! Here is a peak into the blissful day!

DOWN IN THE BASEMENT…

UP STAIRS…

Did you notice this awesome picture frame Mr. M made from an old reclaimed fence! This is the same frame we sent to Nate Berkus after he came over and admired the one hanging in our hallway! We did a raffle and had a ton of interest! Told you they were cool Babe!

And the winner of the frame is Katina Patriquin! Check out her photography! She is great!

This runner was super easy to make by re purposing check stubs! Just have fun with your glue stick and be as random as possible!

Special thanks to all the wonderful people who stopped by our table to say hello and support Reclaimed! We really enjoyed visiting with you all! As for Dan and Kristin Alber (the hosts of the party), you guys continuously amaze us. You are so incredibly talented, kind, and just flat out fun to be around! Thank you for allowing us to be part of this blissful day!

Have a fabulous day!