Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Get Crafty

I'm not at all judgy about other peoples choices, but more and more I realise that often it is not about choice at all... often we just don't realise there is a choice to be made. So what I mean is like, a few years ago, I didn't think twice about using plastic shopping bags for all my shopping, it just didn't occur to me that perhaps that wasn't best for the environment. Not just in the way they get disposed of, but in the toxic way they are made in the first place. I just didn't think about it. So I've been on a discovery journey about all the things I could improve, that I just haven't thought about before...

We all want to make a difference and do our bit, and the less rubbish we create the better for the environment, so have you ever thought about the amount of paper napkins/serviettes you use over the course of a year?
Well if my family of 5 use 5 serviettes every couple of days that is just under 1000 serviettes in 1 year. That might not sound like that much but then multiply that figure by the amount of people who use them and the end result is truly staggering! Think of all the resources, bleach, dyes and chemicals being used to make them and we don't really even need them.

So my family started using fabric napkins about a year ago which are not only much better for the environment but are way more civilised. It's like 'Downton Abbey' round my house every night! Ok, just joking, it's not like that at all! But fabric napkins are just so much nicer and just sling them in the wash every once in a while.

I decided I would make some fabric napkins out of a piece of my Spring Cottage fabric and there was enough in 1 meter to make 4 napkins plus a meter long table runner for the centre. 

I cut 52 cm squares and sewed the edges on my machine with a double fold, so there are no rough edges and it was super simple, took about 5 minutes per napkin.

So if you fancy a simple crafty project then get yourself a meter of fabric, maybe you already have something tucked away, and whip yourself up some super sustainably stylish napkins. If you want to use Van Asch fabric for this purpose, it works very well because it is 100% cotton and that is important for the absorbency plus the weight is just right, you can order a meter here

Now, before I go, I want to ask you... do you own anything Van Asch and want to film a testimonial? If you send me a video of yourself saying nice things about something you have bought then I will give you a whopping 50% off discount code to use in my store any time this year, as a Thank You. There are only a couple of rules, it must be a video, you have to be in the video with the thing you are talking about and I must get the video by February 10th. You can email it to me rachel@vanasch.se and then I'll give you your special VIP discount code. I'm going to use them on my various social media and website etc...

Here are a couple I already have...