baby green: eco-friendly holiday ideas

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Etsy Love: Yellow Bird Yellow Beard

With the holidays quickly approaching, my mouth has already began watering for Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas cookies, but at the same time I can't help but feel my stomach churn over the upcoming season's wasteful decorations. In my house, we achieve a festively decorated look each year with found and recycled items, and use the same garland of LED Christmas lights that we've had for years. Plenty of Etsy shop crafters have the same notion, making gorgeous decorations out of recycled materials. So with this in mind, I plan on spotlighting eco-friendly holiday alternatives for the next few weeks, starting with the recycled paper and lovingly handmade creations I found on Yellow Bird Yellow Beard.

An earth-friendly decorative garland made from recycled take-out bags is the perfect accent for a Thanksgiving day with an earthy, vintage feel (I'm seeing a mantel place full of vintage glass bottles filled with grains and kernels of corn, lots of warm unscented soy candles burning and burlap placemats.....but that's just me!).

Although not made from recycled paper, this red and green garland puts me in the Christmas spirit in a way no plastic decoration ever will.

Plush Heart HO HO HO Christmas Tree Ornament.

For those local to the Southern California location of shop owner Janee Lookerse, this Recycled Book Pages Wreath is a modern alternative to a store-bought pine branch version that will simply be tossed in the trash come New Years Day.

And for handmade babies toys better than anything you would find in the sea of big box baby stores - like this adorable fabric giraffe - please check out Janee's second Etsy venture YBYB Toy Shop.

Friday, December 3, 2010

It's a wrap.

The holiday season seems to sneak up out of nowhere each year. Weren't my son and I tumbling around in the Long Island surf not so very long ago? In an effort to sooth my denial/shock/resistance/astonishment and because a bunch of fellow parents have suggested I do so, I am embracing the season by posting a variety of green holiday tips over the coming weeks. No grinch in this house (although if I do recall correctly, he was a lively shade of green himself!).

With Chanukkah already underway and Santa Wish Lists in final draft stage, gift giving season is no doubt upon us. I am personally anti-gift wrap, favoring discarded newspapers, magazines and fabric scraps when an outer wrapping is a must. More often than not, I just hand over a gift with a smile. This year, however, I bought some recycled paper from a fundraiser at my son's school that was even printed with non-toxic inks. Friends and relatives will certainly be shocked to receive wrapped gifts from me! This inspired me to post my Top 3 favorite earth-friendly holiday gift wrap finds, giving us all a chance to green this wasteful tradition at long last!