27: Finding Joy in Creative Reuse — Sustainable Crafting for Every Season with Sibia Torres Padilla

What if the things we already have — the scraps, the leaves, the little bits most people throw away — are exactly where creativity begins?

This week, Sarah Robertson-Barnes talks with Sibia Torres Padilla, the artist and author behind @sibster and Charming Woodland Crafts: 50 Fun and Easy Projects Made from Natural and Recycled Materials.

Sibia shares how her upbringing shaped her creativity and resourcefulness, and how those early lessons in “making do” evolved into a lifelong love of turning the everyday into something meaningful. Together, they explore the beauty of creative reuse, the emotional connections formed through making, and how crafting with kids can nurture imagination and mindfulness — especially during the busy holiday season.

They also talk about the realities of navigating online fame, what it felt like to publish her first book, and why creating something by hand can be such a powerful act of hope.

Takeaways

• Creativity and sustainability are deeply connected — both begin with what’s already around us.
• Creative reuse transforms ordinary materials into art and joy.
• Making things by hand fosters connection with nature and each other.
• Publishing Charming Woodland Crafts was a dream realized.
• The holidays offer a chance to create intentionally, not consume endlessly.
• You don’t need to be “crafty” to make something meaningful.
• Beauty exists even in what others might see as trash.

One Small Shift

Look at what’s already in your home — paper scraps, jars, pinecones, fabric bits — and see what could become something new. Start with one small, handmade project and let the process be the point.

Connect with Sibia

Instagram

Facebook

Resources

Charming Woodland Crafts: 50 Fun and Easy Projects Made from Natural and Recycled Materials (buy Sibia’s book!)

6 Recipes for Gifts in a Jar (blog post)

Sustainable Gift Wrapping Ideas (blog post)

Seasonal Decor: How to Make Dried Orange Slices (blog post) 

Transcript

0:00

What if the things we already have, the little bits of trash, the recycling, the scraps, the leaves, the things most people throw away are exactly where creativity begins. Today's guest shows how creativity can begin right where we are with natural and found materials that become something lasting and full of meaning, turning the everyday into heirlooms. Welcome to Sustainable in the Suburbs, a podcast for the eco curious who want to live a greener life and are looking for a place to start. I'm your host, Sarah Robertson Barnes. a soccer mom with a station wagon and a passion for sustainable living. Each week I'll bring you practical tips and honest conversations to help you waste less, save money and make small doable shifts that actually fit your real life. Because sustainable living doesn't have to be perfect to matter and you don't have to do it all to make a difference. Hello, welcome back to Sustainable in the Suburbs, the podcast where we start where we are, use what we have and live a little greener, one small shift at a time. Quick note before we get into today's conversation, if you've been enjoying the show, please follow Sustainable in the Suburbs wherever you are listening and leave a quick rating and a review. It really helps other folks find the show. You can also find me on Instagram. I'm there at Sarah Robertson Barnes and make sure that you're on my newsletter list, especially heading into the holidays. I've got lots of ideas coming your way to help you save money, cut down on waste and make the season feel a little slower and more meaningful. The link is down in the show notes. And if something from today's episode sparks a thought, hit reply on the newsletter and let me know. I'd love to hear from you. The holiday season can be such a busy and all-consuming time. So I've been thinking a lot about how we can slow down a little, use what we already have, and bring more creativity and meaning into the season. My guest today is Sibia Torres-Padilla, who you may know as at Sibster on Instagram. where she shares beautiful low-waste projects that invite families to create together using everyday, natural, and found materials. She's also the author of the lovely book, Charming Woodland Crafts, 50 fun and easy projects made from natural and recycled materials. Her work is such a lovely reminder that creativity and sustainability really do go hand in hand and that making something with our own hands can make the season feel more connected, intentional, and joyful. Through her warm family-friendly approach to crafting, she shows that sustainability doesn't have to mean sacrifice. It can be playful, imaginative, and deeply connected to nature. Sibia's work is all about seeing beauty in the everyday, transforming scraps, bits of nature, and so-called trash into something meaningful. We talk about her roots in reuse, her creative philosophy, and how simple handmade projects can make the holidays feel slower, more meaningful, and a lot more special. You're going to want a nice warm mug of tea or apple cider for this one. Here's my conversation with Sibia. Sibia, I am thrilled to be talking to you today. I'm so excited to meet you and welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to meet you too. I feel like we've talked so much, but we've never actually like, you know, quote unquote met. Yeah, talked, talked. So before we get into your beautiful work, I'd love to start with your story because your approach to creativity feels so deeply rooted in like who you are and how you grew up. And so for anyone who's just meeting you, can you tell us a little bit about who you are and the kind of work that you do? So I feel like a lot of what I do is kind of because of the way that I grew up and like I'm very open about it. You know, we grew up extremely low income and so we just kind of had to make do with what we had. And as I got older, it just kind of, I kind of adopted it as like a mindset instead of, you know, a necessity. So I ended up working with with kids, I worked with special needs kids. And one of the things that I would do with them was do arts and crafts projects and we would sell them. And then with that money, we would go out and do like community outings, go to the movies or the mall and stuff like that. And so I just, you know, in a school setting, the budget isn't always great either. So it kind of, you know, I took up that mentality again of, okay, well, you know, how can we make this work? So we started doing a lot of recycled crafts. And we ended up making money to go do that. And when I quit my job, because I had my kids, I just felt like the right thing to do was to continue with that approach. Because it was so valuable for me growing up, and I wanted them to grow up seeing things in the same light as I did. Yeah, your story and your work, it shows that blend of creativity and care and also storytelling. Where do think that comes from? You know, I'm not sure I guess all the things that I just really love to do, you know, When I first started my Instagram, for example, like my whole thing was photography I was really into photography. I was like Hardcore cat lady, you know, like I wasn't thinking about kids or anything like that. And so now when I create I kind of um Blend that into what I do as well. Like I love making videos and like part of it is showing a tutorial and part of it is like making a really pretty video because it just like combines all these aspects that I'm really into. uh And storytelling is one of them. I guess I probably got that from my mom, like she's always, you know, been that way too. You often share those projects that you make with your kids. So what have you learned from watching them create? I feel like my content has even changed a lot from when I first started doing projects with my kids because when I first started doing them, it was a lot of, uh okay, so you're gonna do this and this is what it's supposed to look like, which I think there is value in. I think there's value in teaching kids to follow directions and this is a certain outcome that you're supposed to get from it. But as my kids got a little bit older and they started showing more of their own personalities, uh I just discovered that Like one of them loves to do things like buy the book and he's going to look at my example and he wants his to look just like mine. And the other one, she is going to get like paint on her toes and she is going to do her own thing. And I think I've just learned a lot about just like the process of it and enjoying the process versus the outcome of it. And I've also strayed away a lot from like making them like a focus in my content just because I want them to enjoy that and I don't want it to ever feel like staged or forced. And if theirs doesn't come out looking like mine, I don't want that to ever be like a worry in their mind, you know? So I've just learned a lot about just like letting go of the expectations and that, know, just enjoying the process of creating art. Yeah, the letting go, especially I joke that there are two types of kids and I have one of each. So it's funny to hear you say that about how there's one that's by the book and there's one that has never seen the book. My younger one definitely brings that energy as well. So your work has such a, for me anyhow, um such a clear creative philosophy behind it. And it's this way of seeing the beauty and the possibility of things that a lot of us overlook. And that is what's in our recycling box or what's in the trash. So I'm curious, but I guess the term now is creative reuse and what that means to you. Yeah, so, um you know, like I said, we've always done that, like my family, right, because of the way that we grew up and it was just kind of a mentality. But um when I first started sharing, I was actually so nervous because I don't think it was as mainstream as it is now. And I remember that, right after I had my kids, I was of course sharing that part of me with them, but I wasn't really sharing it with the internet yet. And so I was kind of like, what am I gonna do? Should I be a mommy blogger? What's the next step in my life right now, now that I have children? And I ended up making my son uh a little cardboard tree house. for his, he had like little bunnies and I saw one on Crate and Barrel and it was so cute. And I was like, there's no way I'm paying that price. So I made it out of like toilet paper rolls and cardboard and I ended up sharing it to Facebook. And I just had such a, an amazing reception, but I remember being like really nervous. And even when I would like branch out to other things, like I started making things out of egg cartons, then I... started making things out of clear plastic because to me I was like, it kind of looks like glass, you know? So like I started making a lot of things that were like faux glass. And I was so nervous that I was like, where is the line that somebody's going to be like, excuse me, ma'am, that is literal trash. And you know, people have, but I was like psyching myself out way more than, you know, way more than I had to. But now it feels like it's a lot more like, which is a lot more mainstream, which is a great thing. I feel like a lot of people are just like, yeah, of course, crafting with recycled materials, that's what you do. m Yeah, I think you and I are very much on the same page that another person's trash is another person's treasure or art supply or, you know, it's only civil use if you use it once. em That's why I'm obsessed with the plastic as glass, the sun catchers. I think that's how I first became obsessed with you. So can you share a little bit more about like, are some ways that you think like creativity or sustainability overlap in your work? Even if it's just like, what are your favorite? materials to grab out of the recycling box. Yeah, well, for sure it would have to be the clear plastic. I feel like I've just like kind of like I started making a lot of like pressed glass and like, like when my daughter like was super into Dandelions, I like pressed them between like I sandwiched them between two pieces of clear plastic and I was like, yeah, you know, that kind of looks like a little glass frame and uh that glass jars are like always, you know, they're always going to be a classic. But yeah, those are definitely my favorites. And uh now even I even have my like extended family bringing me like their bags of trash. Well, it's getting other people to see that it's not trash. It's still really valuable material. I have to say, I'm really jealous of your yellow egg cartons. Do you get them? No, ours are gray. And so I've tried to do the paper that you make. I made a little screen. I think you had a tutorial on how to make a screen out of like a dollar store frame. Yeah. That I copy. I didn't have window screens, so I used a pair of nylons. nice I like, same thing. was like, is this, is this too much? But it came out great. And so I made some holiday cards with that last year, but again, our curtains are sad. So I ended up using shredded paper out of my husband's office and it came out great. Nice, yeah, we have the pretty ones. They come in yellow and they also come in blue. So I've watched you like blow up over the last few years on Instagram, which is amazing. I told my brother I was talking to today and his girlfriend lost her mind. So like well over a million people are following you across different platforms now. And what I appreciate is that you've been really um open about like being sensitive to that and sometimes finding it hard. to put yourself out there online? How do you stay connected to your creativity when the internet can get really noisy? Yeah, so that was actually a complete surprise to me. And I never set out to try to be like an influencer. Even now, I wouldn't call myself that. But it just kind of happened. Like I said, like I had posted that little cardboard tree house to Facebook and then um people just started encouraging me to share that more. And it was like during lockdown time when everybody was kind of like trying to branch out and find other hobbies. So I started sharing first only in my stories, just what I was doing with my kids that day. And it was like really just simple stuff, filling up egg shells or like egging our house or whatever. And... I started getting a lot of really sweet messages and people were like, my gosh, you your, your account is better than Pinterest. And so I finally, I was like, okay, like I didn't think people would be really into that. So I finally started sharing it onto like my main feed and then, you know, reels came along and that was something that was always my hobby was, you know, playing around with cameras. So that was like another way for me to, you know, play around with cameras was creating these tutorials of the things that I was doing with my kids. Yeah, it just kind of blew up from there. was hard. It was hard because I'm very introverted and I can second guess myself a lot. When I was making these things and I was like, oh my gosh, they're all gonna laugh at you. And a lot of people were really mean and it was hard at first, especially when my account was just blowing up. I mean, I think one time I gained 15,000 followers in one day. It was. Yeah, there was like, it's not like that anymore, thankfully, because I honestly, I don't think that I can handle it. But it was crazy. And it was a lot of really mean people. I was like, on one hand, I'm getting these like super sweet messages from people saying like, my gosh, you know, like, I tried this and my kids loved it. And, or like, I'm a single mom. And like, you helped me not have to spend as much money I had. this guy messaged me from Mexico who works with like really impoverished communities. And he was saying, you know, we use a lot of your tutorials because they mainly use trash. And so that was very encouraging. But the other side of it, which is all of a sudden you're like on this, you know, this stage and you, I didn't really know how to handle it or like how to feel. So I just kind of like drew back into myself a lot. And I was like, okay, well, Maybe I'll just share more art, but not share as much about myself. And so even now, a lot of my content is space-less content. Because I still don't feel like, I don't know, like I'm not in that place of like, where people are like, yeah, know, like welcome to my life and like follow me around and let me show you everything I eat and do. like, my pace just doesn't feel that way to me in order for me to feel true to myself. I just have to like draw back a little bit. and focus on what I want to share, what I love sharing, which is like the crafts and the upcycling. Yeah, no, I totally understand that. I'm very similar. I prefer not to appear in my own content. uh And that's why we're doing audio today. Thank you for that. Yeah. mean, that's honestly what I'm trying to show too is just like, here's how you do a thing. And it's fine if it looks how it looks. It's totally fine. I look like a goblin behind the camera. it's totally okay. What's keeping you inspired to share these days? Honestly, just all the positive feedback that I'm getting. And like I said, because my account is not exploding anymore, like the algorithm was like, okay, calm down. Now I can just kind of take it easy and I can focus on having real conversations with people. um that I enjoy talking to, I enjoy hearing feedback from. I keep a folder on my phone of all the pictures that people send me of, know, when they try the crafts and stuff. And then I keep another one where people send me nice messages because, you know, they're just so sweet and they're so heartfelt. So I want to focus on that. And then, know, every like every blue moon, I'll get a mean comment and I'm like, okay. Yeah. It's hard not to take those things to heart, but once you stop, and I love that you just said that you keep like a folder on your phone of nice messages. I think that's a really important thing to do because that's 99 % of the time. Yeah. So I'd love to talk about your book, which is on route to me. So I'd love to pass it on for my niece for Christmas this year, actually. It's called Charming Woodland Crafts, 50 fun easy projects made from natural and recycled materials. And I'm going to link that in the show notes for everybody. It feels like, I was so excited when your book came out because it feels like such a natural extension of everything that you share, the creative reuse, connecting with natural materials, finding joy and just making stuff. So I'm curious what inspired that, the woodland crafts aspect and how did that all come about? Yeah, so I'm going be completely honest with you. The title was chosen by the publisher at the very end. So a lot of people had messaged me or commented and said, you you should write a book, you should write a book. So it was always on the back of my mind, but I had no idea where to start. uh You know, making videos is my thing. I love doing that. I love editing videos, but sitting down and writing a book, I was like, I wouldn't even know. And then the publisher reached out to me. um And so I was like, okay, great. You know, they were going to help me write the book. um so their original idea was to create a book uh that was keepsake crafts. And I loved that idea because it's, they wanted me to show crafts that were like a little more elevated as opposed to like your simple everyday crafts that you could just, you know, hand a book to your kid and be like, here, you know, you're bored to make something, you know, and then we'll probably trash it afterward. So the original concept was that it would be crafts that you could keep around for a really long time because they would be really cute and they would be meaningful. um And then at the very end, right before the book was published, uh my publisher came to me and was like, hey, so we thought that Charming Woodland Crafts was a better name for the book. And at that time, it was just kind of like down to the wire. So I was like, okay, that's fine. And like I did feel a little silly because I live in the desert and like my book is like forest themed. uh But you know, I guess it just shows that like you can do whatever kind of craft you want, no matter where you are, you know. And you can just sort of make it up. So I'm just thinking about how you are making leaves out of, coffee filters recently, because you're like, well, I don't, the leaves don't really change here. So we're just going to two, which I really appreciate because like not everyone lives where there's pine cones. But you offer ways to sort of, know, fake it with trash. um What was that like moving from sharing your work online, like you said, editing videos and photography to like holding physical finished book in your hands. my gosh, it was like surreal. And I remember the first day that it arrived, my publisher had said, you know, it's gonna arrive once the warehouse is, you know, has sorted and everything, but they didn't really give me like an actual date. I had, another one of my friends had written a book and I had ordered it and I was rushing out the door that day. I remember there was like an envelope at my door and I was like, yeah, that must be her book. And I threw it in the house and I like, I left. And then later that day I come home and I'm just like, I ripped the envelope open and like I opened it and I'm like, you know, it was like, oh my gosh, like it's here. It's in my hands. Like it was so surreal. And I just, loved that. You know, my kids' faces were on it. I loved that it was dedicated to them. And like, I loved showing it to them for the first time. Yeah. It was, it was just crazy. You can see me right now. I'm like, who, if I don't get teary once an episode, I don't know. And what do you hope that readers and future makers take away from your book? You know, I just hope that they take away, I don't know, not to be afraid to just think outside the box. there's like a part at the very end of the book that I like, I write like a thank you note to my mom. And it's just, it's kind of that feeling, know, like I saw her, you know, like struggle, but she always made it work, you know? And I feel like that's what I would want. other people to feel. em Just don't be afraid to, you know, don't think that in order to have something beautiful or magical, you have to have certain supplies, or you have to have a certain budget. Because I know that a lot of people make trashy crafts, right? That's like a thing now. It's very popular. And The truth is that a lot of the times we do like give our kids like, here's a toilet paper roll and go paint on it or do something with it. And then you forget about it, but you can also make things that are genuinely really beautiful. They are all over my house. Things that I'd made years ago are hanging from all around my house on shelves, on hooks, everywhere. And that's how I decorate my house. And if I had an anthropology budget, which I don't, I would still choose the things that we made with our trash, you because they're not only beautiful to me, that I get compliments when people come over, but they're also really meaningful to me and to the kids because they get to, know, when they were going through the book for the first time, they were literally like screaming and pointing at like the things in our house. That's so cool. I love that you mentioned keepsake ornaments, keepsake crafts earlier. was thinking about the ornaments that I just saw come back up on Facebook or Instagram. One of those, the tuna cans with the little creatures inside. Yeah. I was like, gosh, I remember these. And so I wanted to make them for my tree. So I'm really glad that that came back up again because they're fantastic. And it doesn't look like a tuna can. looks like anthropology budget. And I share the same things every year sometimes. Like some of the videos that I've shared, I've been sharing them since like 2021 and I still look at that and I'm like, yeah, hey, that looks so good. Like it's not even just like a fad or like a style, like, you know, they're doing like Ralph Lauren Christmas in Sierra here or something, but you know, there's certain things that you make them and you can look back years later and still be super proud of them and still, you know, want to display them in your home. Yeah, you shared something about, um, think it's like plastic orange slices for 58 real dollars. When I can get a box of expired, not expired, but like not perfect oranges for like six bucks and have oranges that I've put out for years and years and years on end. So it's, it's not as difficult as you think it's quite simple. So since this episode is going to come out during the holidays, let's just go full on here. I'd to talk to you about. how your approach to creative reuse fits into the season, because it's so busy and it can be so expensive and really over the top. So how do you bring that creative reuse philosophy and natural materials into the holidays? I honestly feel like the holidays are where I flourish the most. I feel like the holidays are when people are kind of looking for ideas or um looking for, you know, they wanna spend time with their family, but they also want decorations. And instead of like driving to Target and buying a bunch of stuff, you can sit down and make them yourselves with your kids. So I feel like the holiday season is um kind of like my favorite season for creating. for that reason. So what are some simple, meaningful ways that people can reuse either natural materials that they find outside or will call them found materials, but trash recycling for like not just decor, but like gifts or wrapping. Yeah, well, definitely my favorite is using the packaging paper that comes in that as like a gift wrap. And I am not big on gift wrap at all. just feel like people just rip it apart and throw it in the trash anyway. So I'll either just like not wrap my gifts or I'm just going to wrap it in like brown paper and, you know, have the kids decorated or whatever. Yeah, that's actually the only kind that is recyclable is the brown paper that you get, like the, the quote, packing paper, I'll call it instead of wrapping paper. I was just looking at our town recycling rules today. We got new recycling boxes, so everyone's losing their minds, but just like refresh on the rules. And it said, you know, wrapping paper can go on recycling. And then I opened up what it said. It's like, unless it has like any plastic on it or sparkles or photos or like, so, yeah, I'm like, well then it's say it's garbage because that's what it is. if you use that brown packing paper, it's recyclable and it's compostable. So for me, it just ends up in the backyard bin. But I'm also a huge fan of wrapping in cloth. Yeah. Yeah. And you often, again, show your kids getting involved in these projects. So I'm wondering what are some like family friendly ways to make the season feel a little more creative and a little less wasteful. Yeah. So usually with my kids, I'll do the wrapping paper. And then we just finished our new orange sliced garland because we didn't want to buy the$58 one. I also have them help me make like little gifts. So every year we'll make like, we've made like the simmer pot in a jar to give away. We've made like hot chocolate kits. when they were babies, their baby food used to come in these little like square jars that were so cute. And so I would stack them and I would put like hot chocolate mix in one and marshmallows in another and then like tie them with a ribbon or whatever. So they really enjoy helping me with that. Every year we make like a homemade uh ornament that we put on our tree and you know, we can bring them out in the following years. And they look at like their little ornaments that they made in the years prior. That's how get these heirloom crafts, right? Like these things that you bring out every year and, you made this when you were four. Or do you remember the time that we, made you go on that hike and we had to do all the pine cones. That's one of my kids. Things that they mentioned every year. God, remember when we had to go on this hike and mom made us pick up all these pine cones? Like, yes. Yes, I did. What would you say to someone who feels like they aren't crafty, but they want to try to make something for the holidays this year? I would honestly say it really doesn't have to be complicated. ah And I will say that some of the things I share are a little complicated because I'm also very artsy. you know, like I shared like how we were decorating leaves to make them look like little animals and. You know, obviously stuff like that. Some stuff is going to require like a level of like artistic talent if you, if you're going to be hard on yourself. Of course, if you don't care, then, you know, it could be like a deranged possum. It doesn't matter. But, you know, if you care about it looking perfect, then, you know, obviously some stuff is, is going to be, you know, better than others. But some of the decorations we make are just very like simple, like the, orange garlands or, you know, like We were making like ornaments out of the egg cartons. You know, I've seen like little Santa hats. I've made stars out of them before. I've seen little bells made out of them. So some of the stuff is just, it's really simple. So I wouldn't get too hung up on whether you're crafty or not. I just think, you know, keep it simple. Yeah. And if you don't end up liking it, it's okay because you got everything out of the trash on the first try. It's pretty low stakes, but I find that it's going to come out pretty no matter what, because of what you made it out of. Like you really can't go wrong with a pine cone. Yeah. I mean, a pine cone alone by itself. I have a bunch of pine cones on my tree right now. Just stuffing them in the empty spaces. I don't know if you can see over my shoulder, I fully have a gigantic jar full of pine cones because I picked them up. What do you think that we gain from this, either emotionally or spiritually when we choose to make rather than buy? I think that it honestly makes us feel more connected to each other and it makes us feel more connected to the earth. Just like I can go to a store and I can buy a bunch of decorations and I'm not knocking anybody who buys decorations because some people don't have time. know, it's all in, you know, every person's circumstance. But personally, like I can go to the store and I can buy a bunch of stuff and It's not going to make me personally feel fulfilled as opposed to creating something with my own hands and involving my children and the sense of pride that we feel with that. It's just different. Yeah. it's for me, so I'm a knitter and for me, it's, can't have anything else in my hands except for the thing that I'm doing. And so it feels very meditative and I get to hear my own thoughts. um Yeah. It's just really lovely way to slow down, especially at this time of year. yeah, I feel like it's so grounding. there's been days that, you know, the house was just funky. Like people were in moods or the kids were, you know, especially like restless. You know, like we live in the desert. So half of the year is like 120 degrees Fahrenheit outside. So we have to come up with things to do indoors. And I just, remember there being days where they were just so restless. and so wild and, you know, a little fussy. And I would just like grab, I think there was one time that I just grabbed like a bunch of like leaves that I had pressed and I grabbed some markers and I put some paint and like an egg carton and I just put it on the table. And I didn't say anything. I sat down and I just started like making, you know, different patterns on the leaves and painting. And slowly they all like started coming, including my husband. And we sat at that table for like an hour and a half just creating. And it changes like the atmosphere and it changes the mood of everything when you can just, you know, like slow down and create something. you know, it just brings you like a sense of peace. Yeah. And connection. we were talking about earlier. Yeah. So before we wrap up, I like to end each episode with a little segment that I call One Small Shift. So that's where I'll put you on the spot and I ask you to share what's just one small but meaningful change that listeners can make in their own lives. Just something simple and doable and aligned with what you do that can make a difference going into the holidays. Let me see. I guess I would just say. Just challenge yourself to create something, whatever it is, with whatever you have. ah You don't have to go out and look for anything extra. Even if it's piece of plastic from a pack of muffins that you bought or something, just challenge yourself to create something with it. I usually make bookmarks out of mine, and last year I turned them into gift tags for Christmas gifts. And yeah, I would just say, I would just challenge you to create like one thing, something that you're, maybe it's not your thing, but you know, just try it out and see how it makes you feel and see what you can come up with without any expectations. And like you said, if it doesn't come out well or for any reason, which I think it would, I think it would. But if it doesn't, then you know, it's fine because it was trash anyway. Well, challenge accepted because I'm just thinking right now I've got one of those lettuce boxes sitting in my recycling bin and it did not occur to me to make gift tags out of them. Yeah. Yeah. Those look so pretty. Those were like one of my most popular things that I gave out last year. I just like pressed like a leaf on each of them. And then I wrote names with like a white marker and yeah. doing it. like, yes, yes. I usually just stamp right on the brown paper, but this year I'm like, Ooh, I'm going to make some pretty little prints. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story and your creative process with us today. And just before we say goodbye, where can people find you? I'm on Instagram uh mostly and I just started posting on Facebook under the same name, Sipster. I also have a TikTok but I honestly I forget it exists like for weeks on end so that wouldn't be a good place. But yeah, I'm on Instagram, Sipster. Come say hi. Definitely, absolutely. If you aren't already following her, you will be before the outro music plays. So thank you again so much. appreciate you so much and I'm so glad to know you. Thank you, Sarah. I loved that conversation with Sibia so much. Her approach to creativity and reuse feels exactly like the reminder that we need at this time of year. That beauty and meaning often come from using what we already have and spending time together. You'll find everything we talked about today linked in the show notes, including her book, Charming Woodland Crafts, and a few related blog posts and ideas to help bring a little more creativity and a little less waste into your holiday season. If you've been enjoying the show, there are a few simple ways to support it. You can follow us wherever you're listening today, leave a quick rating or review. It really helps others find the show and come hang out with me on Instagram at Sarah Robertson Barnes. And of course, make sure you jump on the newsletter list. I've got lots of ideas coming your way to help you save money, cut down on waste and make the season feel a little lighter. And you'll find everything we talked about today down in the show notes. Until next time, start where you are, use what you have and live a little greener. Thanks for tuning in to Sustainable in the Suburbs. Every small step adds up and I'm so glad we're doing this together. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to follow the show, share it with a friend and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. You can find me at sustainable in the suburbs.com or at Sarah Robertson Barnes on all the things. Until next time, start where you are, use what you have and live a little greener. This podcast is produced, mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio. For more information about how to start your own podcast, please visit www.cardinalsstudio.com or email Mike at mike at cardinalsstudio.co. You can also find the details in the show notes.