Powered by wind and sun - SOLVINDEN

I´m really excited about our new wind- and solar powered lamps from IKEA. 

They come from a collection called SOLVINDEN (meaning "the sun-wind") consisting of several different light sources run by (as you could guess) sun and wind. According to staff at IKEA they´re supposed to survive hanging outside all-year-round, even trough chilly Scandinavian winters. 

Though I doubt there will be enough sun to charge the sun cells during winter, it´s possible that the wind will blow enough to charge the generator. That´s at least what I´m hoping for as it would save a looot of electricity. 

And what do they look like? 

Pictured above are two of them, in all their colorful glory, charging up on my veranda. When they´re spinning in full action they look like flying ribbons.... Or tiny Tivoli attractions!  

When the darkness creeps in, I bring them inside where they shine for hours. A fully charged lamp last me about 2 days. Below is a single lamp in a pitch dark room.

All in all, I´m very happy with my new sunshiny lights. No matter what anyone might think about IKEA, it´s a great thing that a big company like such make a full collection of sun powered lamps. 

And now I want a sun powered phone charger, fridge, stove and water heater ;)

What´s your experience with solar and/or wind power?

<3

The frugal kitchen - Save the onions

Next time you find soft or sprouting onions in the kitchen - think again before you throw them on the compost pile. 

There´s a fair chance that those onions can be resurrected! 

Simply plant them in a pot or straight into your garden (about 1/3 down in the soil) and watch them grow beautiful stalks. The stalks are delicious to eat raw and can be used the same way as chives. 

With some luck the old onion may even split and turn into several "new" onions, like the beauty on the picture below that was harvested from my garden just earlier this week.  

Besides saving you a little bit a money, it makes you feel like a super fierce master of onion resurrection. Which is cool.

<3