Green Gift Guide: The Final Installment

I feel like now that I have done my due diligence in sharing our family gifting ideas, I can share with you the final installment of the Green Gift Guide. After all, I know a lot of people still have names to cross off the list and if you order soon, everything should arrive in time!

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A previous gift guide mentioned my love of the concept of wrapping in reusable. Here is another great way, especially for the crafter, quilter, or seamstress in your life. Use these fabric wraps to literally add a little something to your beautiful present.

An alternative to the cardboard sleeve, this handisleeve allows for a reusable option, a handle, and a little bit of a fashion statement at the same time.

Cloth napkins-A. Fair trade cloth napkins-A+. Beautiful fair trade cloth napkins-yes, please! And just a thought, you could also use these to wrap small treasures!

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I just listened to a radio program the other day on the lost art of letter writing. There is something so quaint and sentimental about staying in touch through written word. And if you use this wax seal with soy wax and recycled paper, you are a charming green relic of times past.

A new (and useful) take on the reusable bag, these two sided totes are helpful for the planet and those stylish shoppers on your list.

Oh, how I love upcycling. Have I mentioned this? How adorable are these upcycled, handcrafted clocks? That one is my favorite!

I love a beautiful snarky shirt. I really love this one from Kitten in the Engine. Go visit and pick out your favorite design for the clever girl in your life.

This cute (and BPA + Phthalate free) lunch box encourages creativity and environmental awareness for kids. A great gift for the hungry little ones in your life.

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I have tried a few products from Bubble & Bee and am always amazed by the diversity of their skin and body care. I love the idea of receiving (or giving) this sleigh full of personalized organic body care. Now 25% off!

This handcrafted light fixture from Brazilian artisans could definitely make my list and a couple of my rooms. Check out the whole collection.

I hope you enjoyed the Green Gift Guide series. I certainly loved sharing them with you! So now, please share...what are you gifting this season???

Our Holiday Giving

There is a lot of chatter out there in the green interweb about gifting. Where to buy? What to buy? If to buy? There are so many opinions and perspectives out there to consider...and as this is my blog...let me give you a few more. Here is my take on our family holiday gifting.

• Probably our most controversial gift policy by far is our policy for the kids. We only get the kids 3(ish) things. 1. Is a fun gift of their choice. I try to get this fair trade/recycled/handmade if possible. 2. Is an educational gift-sometimes of their choice. Same story here. 3. A gift to a charity or gift of volunteering-eventually of their choice as they get old enough. Our thinking here is that our kids will get plenty of gifts and will inevitably have the most fun with the box. We feel the gift of sustainable thinking every year is one in and of itself.
• On the topic of regifting: I do it. I think it's a good idea if it is done with thoughtfulness. So if you are on my gift list, you may be regifted. But please know I do it with the very best intentions for you and the planet. If I can't regift it and I won't use it/love it-it gets consigned to someone who will. No offense.
• We have taken to giving all our extended family, photographs for Christmas. The year we started, we gave a nice frame with them and each year we refill the frame. This allows us to keep to a budget and be environmentally conscious at the same time we bring joy (hopefully) to our family.
• If you read regularly, you know that I don't like to buy new, but I realize sometimes it's the "best" option. When I have to do it, I try to do good with it. I buy local, handmade, organic, recycled, or from someone like Ethical Superstore, or through something like igive which allows you to make a donation with each purchase.
• This is the first year we have done an advent calendar and the boys LOVE it! I really adore the idea of advent calendar but hate the idea of purchasing nick nacks for each day. So I was thrilled when a friend gave me the idea to put a fun family activity in each day. So far we have had hot cocoa with peppermint stirrers, gone Christmas light spotting, send holiday cards to our friends, watched a Christmas movie, gone to a holiday parade, etc...Not only are we not buying more stuff, we are creating quality time and memories with our family.

I would love to hear from you on some of your creative holiday ideas that are great for your family and the Earth! What are you doing to have true spirit this holiday?

New Preserve New Deal

I have raved about Preserve (Nothing wasted. Everything gained.) in the past. They are great for toothbrushes, kitchen ware, and now, tableware, all made out of recycled material. And now they have gotten even better with the launch of their new website. Easy to navigate, it features new products and helpful information on how to recycle through Preserve. And to make it even better, they are offering free shipping through the end of the year with the coupon code, "HOLIDAY09".

How Crafty

I am not a crafty person (Believe me, I've tried. I have the hot glue gun burn scars to prove it). But I was reminded this weekend how much I enjoy craftiness when I engaged in the annual post-Thanksgiving craft show with my mother-in-law. She has been going for 20 years or so and I have joined her the past couple to bask in the creativity of others. She has one vendor she makes sure to hit first every year. These three sisters take old items and paint them to upcycle them into adorable and one-of-a-kind Christmas decorations. The globe above and "Dear Santa" wall hanging below are both from these crafters. I also had the opportunity to meet a local Michigan artist who upcycles old magazines, art papers, and books into beautiful purses. Someday when I don't have to carry a diaper bag, I am getting one. Most of all, this craft show reminded me how cool it is to get something unique and special to pass down through generations. Even cooler is meeting the people who made these things with their own hands, often using recycled materials. If you get a chance this holiday season, try to do some of your shopping with crafters and artisans. It's a warm fuzzy feeling.

Jodi's Adventures In Natural Cleaning!

Raise your hand if your house is a little dirty after this weekend! Ok, well lucky for you that my friend Jodi has come to the rescue with tales of her adventures in natural cleaning. Jodi recently tried some homemade green cleaning recipes for her shower and oven (Hello! Oven!). Here is how it worked out in Jodi's own words:

pic #1 - some hard water stains on the floor in my standing shower. I covered them in salt and squeezed some fresh lime juice on it (cut a lime in half, squeezed it over the stains). Let it sit for 10 min or so.pic #2 - viola! scrub (with the lime rind), rinse with water, and gone!
pic #3 - My gross oven door on the inside (so embarrassing!!!). I did a little area to test my scrubbing solution and then took this pic to compare. I did a mix of 3/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup water. I let the mix sit overnight. In the morning I scrubbed. It was pretty caked on there, but it didn't take a TON of arm work to scrub it off. So in this pic you can see the corner I did the first night, and the rest of the oven door.
pics #4 and #5 - I then covered the rest of the oven door with the mixture, the next night, let it sit, and then scrubbed in the morning. In the 5th pic you can see it coming off as I scrubbed with the sponge.
pic #6 - the door now. It could probably use another coating of the mix on there to completely clear it off, but I haven't done that yet. You can totally tell the difference now.

Jodi deals with hard rusty water, a hunter husband, and three kids and is slowly but surely learning that even with all of that-maybe because of it-green works!

Nature of Beauty (NOB) Black Friday Sale

Another great source for green beauty, The Nature of Beauty, is having a Black Friday Sale. Get the items pictured above free with any purchase of $100 or more. Even better-get free shipping all day Friday with the coupon code "BLACKFRIDAY"

Get beautiful, give beautiful, make it good for you and the planet!

Trillium Organics Black Friday Sale

Trillium Organics, home to a whole line of organic body products in different scents is having a big Black Friday sale. This would be a great time to switch over to some organic body care or give the gift of organic to a loved one. Friday only, save 33% on orders $100 or more with the coupon code "greenday".

Also check out the other specials they are running right now through December 16th.

Travel Kits - 15% Off

Limited Edition Pedicure Set - A $39.95 Value for $24.98

Limited Edition Shea Butter Set - A $24.95 Value for $9.98

Value Sets

(Holiday) Lights Out

It's that time of year when we are getting out and putting away holiday decorations. Every once in a while you come across a strand of lights, like I did last winter and this fall, that is kaput. Please reconsider before you trash them. I found this great light recycling program (not too far from me in Jackson, MI) that you can send your lights into. This company takes the lights and recycles them for you. Best part is, if you include your email address, they'll send you a coupon for 15% off a new light purchase!

The program is open every year from the beginning of October through February. So collect all those misfit lights, send them in, and save a couple kinds of green!

Natural Home Products

I have been in need of some measuring cups. And I have tried the consignment store and Craigslist to no avail. So when I was at Target the other day, I decided to take a look at what they had. It was like a little present to discover these Natural Home measuring spoons for the same price as the other spoons being offered (around $14).

These spoons are made of at least 93% recycled stainless steel and natural (fast-growing) bamboo. They are from a line of products from "Natural Home" magazine. I quickly learned from the tag (the only packaging and printed on recycled paper) that they support safe and healthy work environments, fair labor practices, and environmental protection! And if that wasn't enough, a portion of proceeds goes towards American Forests to help offset the carbon footprint used to manufacture and transport the product! Seriously!?! Does it get better?

Well for you it does! Because you can now register to win the entire line of Natural Home products! Hop on over there and get registered. And if any of you happens to subscribe to this magazine I would love to hear about your experience. I think I am going to have to get myself on that list!

P.S. I tried to find y'all a link to purchase the spoons but it appears my Target carries the only set :( Ok, not really, but I couldn't find a link anywhere! So if anyone comes across one, please share!

Buy It Used Home Tour: Last Day Loft

On this last day of the tour, I will take you upstairs to our loft. This is about 300 sq. feet of space we use to hang out, watch videos, and as a spare bedroom. The daybed above was mine in my childhood home.

This couch was given to us by my dad and stepmom. The table and lamp next to it were swooped up that sale I mentioned on previous days. That was a good sale!

Finally, this chest is something I found on Ebay for $40. It houses all of our board games. It's the perfect storage/coffee table combo. You can find chests like this for sale at almost any thrift store in almost any style to suit your home.

Well, that's it for the tour. Hope you enjoyed!

Buy It Used Home Tour: Living Room

My living room is the largest room in my home, and therefore, the one with the most furnishings and used furnishings. Let's start with the table above. My husband and I got the the table itself for our first home before we were even married at an upscale consignment shop boutique place that was moving for 1/2 off! The clock on it was given to us and I have had the lantern since high school. This is another great way to do environmental good. Treat the stuff you love well and hang onto it forever.

This frame hangs above that table. I found it on Craigslist for $10 and use it as a bulletin board for all my son's art work. This way his creations can be displayed as the true works of art they are and when he makes new stuff, I can take a picture and recycle what was there.

I found this end table at a garage sale for $50 about 3 years ago. If you are thinking "Willo, that sounds a little expensive for a garage sale." I was totally with you. But here's why it is completely worth it; it's sturdy, I like the look of it, and it just wipes clean when someone sets a drink on it/my kids spill the milk they aren't supposed to have in the living room all over it.These two chest were acquired about 6 months ago from my local village consignment shop. I had been looking for something that would hide the kid's toys nicely but they could still access easily and I wanted something that loosely matched the afore mentioned end table, but not exactly. When I found these I knew they were perfect. I got them both for $40. The tiny wooden rocking chair was given to my oldest when he was about 1 by a family friend. It was a family heirloom that had reached the end of the line in that family and gained new life in ours.

This bookshelf is a recent Craigslist find and for $30 it was the addition to this space. Someday I may get something bigger that takes up more of the wall, but right now the kids play there. The lamp was given to us by my husband's Grandma who wasn't using it in her home.

So there you have it, the living room. What do you have in yours that's used and you love?

Buy It Used Home Tour: "Dining Room"

One of the pieces of feedback I got on what y'all would like to see more of is that you wanted to see my place and how we do things around here. That spurred this idea in me that I could share with all of you, all of the things in my house that I bought used (or was given) and LOVE using every day. Now you can see I practice what I preach. And while my house will never be in Better Homes & Gardens, it works for us. And buying (or getting) used can work for you too. You just need a little patience, a love of the environment, and/or a real appreciation of the story inside each item.

So to start our Buy It Used Home Tour, let's hit my "dining room" (pictured above). I say that because we do not have a formal dining room. This table sits in our large kitchen...but it is the dining room as we know it. This table and chairs were given to us for free (can't beat that price tag) by some friends who were getting a new one. I am big on not spending a lot on furniture while my kids are young. I don't want to pay a ton of money for anything, let alone anything that's going to be drawn on, oatmeal encrusted, and sneezed all over before 7:00 am everyday.

The wooden high chair like, well, chair is something I picked up at a garage sale over 3 years ago for $3. It has been through two kids. The light fixture was here when we moved in. The birch branch candle holder was given to me by mom who got it from a friend who was giving it away. All these people giving great stuff away. Turns out that thing they say about one person's trash being another's treasure is true!

Now I want you to share your pictures this week too! Today take a look around your kitchen/dining room. Any great finds from garage sales? Craigslist? Consignment stores? Stuff you were given? Please share!

So You Say It's Your Birthday!?!

Today is the happy day that I turn 28! I have always kind of loved birthdays. Everyone's. Mine included. But you know what I find I always get asked on and around my birthday (other than how old I am)? "What did you get?" Specifically, "What did your husband get you?"

Well today you lucky folks, I am letting you in on my secret. Because the answer is the same every year. What Paul gave me today, and what he gives me every year (and the same thing I gave him), is MEMORIES.

A while back Paul and I decided that for all the major occasions (birthdays, anniversary, holidays) we would stash some money away and use it to DO something special with one another. It's not that there aren't things I want, or even need. But things come and go. Memories are much more precious to me and are here to stay. Plus, they have a small carbon footprint.

It's not for everyone. I know some people really like the actual opening of presents on special days. I get that. But I hope maybe on my birthday I can give you the gift of a new idea. A present to you, your loved one(s), and the planet! Happy birthday indeed!