Juli Schuster Art and Sanctuary

 Using what you have on hand, rather than immediately going to the store to buy more "stuff" that you "need", not only saves money and saves more junk from ending up in a landfill, it forces you to exercise the creative part of your brain and think outside of the box.  A recent example from my own experience: January is a "No Spend" month for me. I only allow myself to buy what I can consume. I resist temptation to buy more stuff-whether the stuff is more clothing, more gadgets, more furniture, etc. A few days ago, after cleaning up the Christmas mess and putting away all of the decorations, I realized we could really use a chair-side table in the living room, I immediately began thinking of what things I could re-purpose as a table. Options: a small ottoman, a wooden wine rack cube, a crate, a bar stool, etc. Then I remembered a vintage TV tray that I had painted and collaged a few years ago that was stored in the basement. I brought it up, wiped the dust...