Entry #2: Sustainability & Us

anitazachary
Jan 21
2 min read

In a time where impulse shopping and fast fashion are on trend, I find myself pairing back and only bringing home items that won't be in a landfill in 10 years, attempting to be more sustainable. I hold the item in my hand, looking at if there's real wood or linen; in this, I keep only the best for my house, not just for this season.

Bowl of wooden spoons in a kitchen — A jar of our wooden spoons, right in the middle of the kitchen for easy access! These are my favorites to use while cooking; they're sturdy, easy-to-clean, won't degrade as long as we wash and oil them properly, and they don't scrape metal off the bottom of our pots and pans!

The real benefit to shopping this way is that everything I take home is my favorite; it's something I really, truly feel is beautiful. The end result is that I treat things so much better, which helps them last longer (it's all a cycle!) which means less waste in the long run. This is the way I want to run The Pumpkin Emporium, making crafts and finding antiques that will last far beyond my - or your - lifetimes, hopefully!

Three scrub brushes and three straw brushes sitting in a 1800s mustard jar in a kitchen. — We found the big scrub brushes at an antique store (the bigger one in the back with white tassels came from our local Soap Refillery/Mercantile) and the jar of marmalade at the Goodwill! I use these almost every morning, to clean our mason jars that we use for smoothies.

A small wooden cabinet with two glass doors and metal knobs. Inside, it's filled with glass jars of loose leaf and bagged tea. Beside it sits a airtight jar of hot cocoa. — This little cabinet came from an antique store! I use it now to hold all of my herbal teas - loose leaf and bags - it's been amazing since we got it, and it's so easy to use!

I think that this journal is going to be much of the same as above - a real-life account of reality. No plastics, no masks, no filters, cardboard, or photos set up just for a picture. I, personally like it when people take blogging a step further than just a pretty set-piece and put it into practical use. So, it's my aim that everything you'll see here in this journal - and on our site - is practical, real life, and used (or can be used) daily.

Three medium blue Dutch tiles hang on a light blue wall. The tiles are framed in a matching medium blue. The images on the tiles are of men in 1700s garb playing instruments: the violin, the flute, and the horn. Next to them is a hanging wood clip board from the 1800s, with a clean roll of paper and lavender drying on it. — These are old Dutch tiles that I got second-hand and put into frames! They're a complimentary blue to the transferware I have scattered around the nook and kitchen. Beside them is a board we use for our grocery lists that I also bought second hand! Coincidentally, it's also good for drying lavender from our garden.