Homemade, Repurposed Gift Wrap (FREE!!!)

We've been invited to a lot of birthday parties lately.  (I know! We're very lucky!)  Parties are a great time to have loads of fun, enjoy a tasty treat, and let someone know you care about him/her.  How fun is that?!

I'm definitely not one who thinks a gift is necessary to let someone know he/she is important but it's usually appreciated (especially by the under 10 crowd) so here's how we wrap those gifts.

And, yes, it's usually a book and a donation.

Yep, it's just some good ol' artwork.  What can I say; I like to paint. ;)  It's very gratifying to know you created part of the package too.  If you have kids, this might help free up some of that valuable real estate on the front of your fridge.  Really, it's a win-win.  Repurposed wrapping (FREE!) that gets some clutter (beautiful as it is) out of your house, while boosting the artists self-esteem all at the same time.

What?!  You don't have stacks of artwork just piling up on the front of your refrigerator?!?  My sister likes to use the comics section from her daily newspaper.  Older kids love this because they can read it too!  I've used maps from vacations.  These are fun because they're usually brightly colored and seem to multiply otherwise.

There's also the option of using reusable bags (if the recipient needs/wants them!) or even using part of the gift itself like dishtowels (think: weddings or housewarmings) or blankets (babies) as the wrapping. 

Personally, I usually stick to the artwork, newspaper, or maps because I think it looks pretty and it gets it out of my house. ;)

Yep, same theme but different book.

With all this being said, please, don't give me a gift.  I'd rather share a meal or an adventure.

I know you have some great ideas out there.  Please, share.

Peace,

Stacey

ReStore Donations

We finally had a chance to take a bunch of our donations to our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  There were three hanging lights (the word "chandelier" makes them sound too fancy), two exterior lights that used to be mounted around our back door (which is now a window), about 30 cabinet knobs, a pretty transom window, and this:

It looks so much nicer right there next to a toilet than it ever did in the middle of my dining room!

I always feel a sense of relief when I donate something.  Today I felt so much better... lighter, freer, and happier! Kind of like the music in this video...

Is it bad that I "love" the landfill in that video?!

What do you have just taking up space in your house (hopefully not in the center of your dining room) that someone else would love to have?

Peace,

Stacey

Do You Carbon Offset Your Travel?

As we wrap up the biggest travel week/weekend of the year in the U.S., it reminds me about what we do to "offset" the environmental costs of our travel.

We are very nontraditional in the way we do this.  We typically donate to a charity that plants trees like The Nature Conservancy's Plant A Billion Trees program or Heifer International's Trees Are A Treasure program.  The Plant A Billion Trees campaign is planting trees in Brazil's Atlantic Forest in order to restore/preserve 30 million acres of rainforest in the next 2 years.  How awesome is that?!?  And The Trees Are A Treasure program often plants fruit trees not only to preserve topsoil but also give nutritious food to families providing for themselves.  (The vegetarian in me loves this part!)

If you'd like to go a more traditional route to offset greenhouse gases produced through travel, you may prefer The Conservation Fund.  It even provides a "Go Zero" calculator.  (Very eye-opening!)  Another one that I've heard great things about (but never used) is Carbon Fund.  I love that it has a whole section devoted to reducing our impacts listed before the offset section.

Which others am I missing?

Peace,

Stacey

31 Days of Green Little Things: Small Change Adds Up!

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

Here’s a little thing that I just started.  I’m saving all the change I find... on the sidewalk, in the couch, on the table, in my husband's coin basket. (Just kidding on that last one!)  At the end of the year, I’m going to donate it to a charity that helps the environment. I haven’t picked which one yet (although I tend to lean towards Oceana, World Wildlife Fund, and The Nature Conservancy) and it probably won’t be a very big donation (we don’t use a lot of cash) but I’m going to see what I can do.

When I was cleaning the house this weekend I somehow just kept finding more and more change until I had a little bowl full. Then I came up with the charity idea.

$13.26!!

I don’t know where it came from (but I can probably figure it out since it wasn’t mine!) and I don’t know where it’s going, but I feel like I’m headed in the right direction.

This is just another example about how small change (environmentally or financially) can really add up to something bigger over time.

Which charity do you think I should donate all my change to this year?  Would you like to join me?

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party.
I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined.

You Can Donate HAIR?!?

I did something fun today.

Yep, that's me.  Ten inches lighter!

I'm so happy.  I love my new 'do but more importantly, I'm excited about what my old hair is about to do.  Along with 8 other ponytails, my hair will make someone feel a little bit better.  I don't want someone to put off or avoid getting a life saving treatment out of fear of losing her hair.  



One day the American Cancer Society will give that hair to another woman.  And it cost me nothing!  Well, the price of postage and a haircut.  In the process, I found a great, local salon that uses the same Aveda products that I use at home so technically, it's a win for me, too.

This is the third time I've donated my hair.  Now I've given to Pantene Beautiful Lengths and Locks for Love, which donates to kids with long-term medical hair loss.

To me, it was just hair.  To someone else, it will mean so much more.  

What's the most unusual thing you've donated or given to someone else to reuse? 

Peace,

Stacey