Recycling Paper & Christmas Crafts

Yesterday, we gave you some great tips on eco-friendly holiday decor and today we'd like to follow up on that with tips on recycling paper and Christmas crafts. These are some really fun things to do with the kids this Christmas, and before long you'll find yourself walking through a luxurious, beautiful winter wonderland! Creating a Christmas Paper Chain You might remember this craft from elementary school, but it's a fun one to share with the kids or use to create some charming holiday decor. The trick is to use paper that would otherwise be destined for the trash - old Christmas cards, stationary, or even paper shopping bags. Using different patterns and colors will create beautiful paper chains that you can hang on the tree, run along the mantel or something else. Making Paper Snowflakes This is a fun craft that I do with my kids - partially because it's the only way we're going to have snow for Christmas and also because it's fun! You can get some very intricate designs to create paper snowflakes that are frame-worthy! Dave's Paper Snowflakes is a great site to get patterns from - they're beautiful and festive. You can use recycled paper plates, wrapping paper and more to create these. Then, brush them with some glue and sprinkle on silver glitter to set them shining! Making Paper Bows for Gifts This is an incredible way to use up old paper that would otherwise be thrown away, and you can also make your gifts look really festive. Simply follow these instructions for cutting, folding and gluing strips of pretty paper for making bows. Paper bows are so pretty, they can also be used for decorations on the Christmas tree, or for centerpiece additions as well! Use your imagination when creating these beautiful bows, and you're sure to find the perfect spot for them. The tips above are perfect crafts to do with the kids. They'll enjoy being part of the Christmas decorating, and you can use up that old beautiful paper that you would normally throw away. Let's work together to make this the greenest Christmas ever! Photo Credits: Greg McElhatton on Flickr, funkyphreshpapierkreations.blogspot.com

Looking for Eco-Friendly Wedding Invitations?

When it comes to infusing your respect for the planet into your wedding, the number of ways you can stay true to an earth friendly walk down the aisle is staggering. One of the first things engaged couples must do in their journey through wedding planning is to announce their special day to family and friends. Today, an eco-friendly wedding invitation may utilize recycled paper or breathe new life into discarded objects. Before making a final decision, take the time to browse an assortment of companies offering green wedding invitations. Sweet Invitations No trees are used to make these acid free, 100% recycled wedding invitations for the eco-minded newlyweds-to-be. Using discarded and shredded cloth, petals, silk and grass, the handmade wedding invitations of Sweet Invitations are stunningly beautiful and creative. The benefit? Eco-friendly announcements that will not fade or disintegrate over time like wood pulp-based papers. A few collections that I thought stood out included the Sealed Hearts Collection, decorated with a traditional faux wax seal sticker displaying a double heart design. This sticker is used to attach the translucent vellum overlay that presents the details of your wedding. However, my personal favorite is the Wedding Bands Collection (Green and Red Silk Invitation shown above) – outstanding handmade paper background cards fashioned from recycled cotton and embedded with silk fibers. A handmade paper band attaches the translucent vellum. Invitesite Featured in Newsweek and Time Magazine, Invitesite has made quite a name for themselves in the world of unique DIY wedding invitations. Since 1999, the company is known for their green business practices that include the papers they use to their methods of printing. Besides choosing from a fine selection of paper invitations, customers may also browse save the date cards, programs, holiday cards, and thank you notes. For an added convenience, Invitesite provides a collection of 'how to' videos for customers looking to make their own wedding invitations using the company's modern invitation kits. Eye-catching and simple, Invitesite offers the DIY Unryu wrapped Natural Invitation called Angelicia, which is decorated with a Japanese maple leaf and offers a tree-free option made from 100% post consumer recycled papers (Thai mulberry fibers). Produced in the United States and/or Canada, the maple leaves are dried in California. When purchasing this set, you will receive a recycled paper envelope; cream-colored mulberry paper cut wrapper; genuine pressed Japanese maple leaf; matching husk post-consumer recycled cardstock; glue sticks; MSWord templates; complete reference sample; and 10% extra printing sheets and envelopes for those pesky, unexpected printing errors. Earthly Affair From earth friendly printing methods to an eco-equipped studio, Earthly Affair has made a commitment to embrace business practices that lessen their impact on the environment. Offering wedding invitations with flair, the company recycles and reuses it way into the hearts of their clients with modern and fun designs. Other highlights of Earthly Affair include carbon-free shipping, donations to environmental projects, and the use of 100% recycled paper. A couple of options to consider include:

• Breeze – perfect for a seaside or coastal walk down the aisle
• Juliet – offering two lovebirds perched on a branch
• Shade – expresses a love of nature with signature tree illustration and flourished border

Sterling Wine Online For the ultimate in personalized eco-friendly wedding invitations, Sterling Wine Online offers laser engraved announcements on recycled champagne bottles. Flattened and accented with gold or silver rings and ribbons, this extremely unique approach is made by glass artisans in the United States. While a wooden display stand accompanies the invitation, this work of art is also functional – designed to double as a cheese platter. At nearly $100 per invitation, this has to be one of the most luxurious ways to announce your upcoming nuptials. Please note that invitations will take two to four weeks for delivery. Available in Dark Green or Kelly Green. Photo Credits: Sweet Invitations, Invitesite, Sterling Wine Online

Less Mail, More Trees

Environmental practices don’t have to be complicated to be sustainable. One important movement is towards simplification, easing the number of things we have to do on any given day, slowing down, and stopping the move towards multi-tasking that is so pervasive in our society. Despite the shift to digital communications and marketing, people’s mailboxes are still crammed with catalogues, solicitations, and paper that, if we’re lucky, usually finds it way into the recycling bin. But wouldn’t it be more sustainable to end the whole process? Less paper, less waste, more time spent on things that matter.

Mail Stopper is a service that encourages environmentalism by helping people eliminate junk mail. With access to over 6,500 mailing lists, the company works to make sure your household is no longer expecting the average of five unwanted glossy catalogues and ten sales and service direct mailings per week. For people who aren’t ready to give up all their catalogues and charitable donation requests, Mail Stopper sets up a list to target what you want and eliminate what you don’t need. Although it’s possible, manually removing yourself from mailing lists takes time and energy. For $20 per year, Mail Stopper sets up a custom selection service and does monthly monitoring of direct mailing lists, making sure your name and address remain private. Distinguishing itself from traditional junk mail services, Mail Stoppper works to replenish the environment by planting five trees for every new member who joins. More than eliminating paper waste, MailStopper helps support important environmental causes that make a difference in the world as well as your mailbox: their donations go to Trees for the Future, American Forests, and Sustainable Harvest, groups with longstanding reputations for direct work on reforestation, sustainable harvesting, and rainforest conservation. Mail Stopper: https://mailstopper.tonic.com/ American Forests: http://www.americanforests.org/

Trees for the Future: http://www.treesftf.org/ Sustainable Harvest: http://www.sustainableharvest.org/

JHill Designs: Real or Imaginary Travel, Preserved in Prints

Jennifer Hill is a young Boston designer who creates fabric, stamps, calendars, and all sorts of print material from a rich imagination about place, history, and beauty. Hill’s print work is done on recycled papers from greenerprinter.com using naturally based inks on recycled paper generated by wind power. What makes JHill Design a beautiful green find is the way Hill’s images re-invent travel nostalgia into sustainable design elements for today. The Around the World Note Cards are reminiscent of posters, wallpapers, and postcards from another era, yet the colors vibrate with a contemporary edge. Hill’s most innovative work is her series “Places I Have Never Been,” an ode to travel that culminates in a gorgeous annual calendar. It’s not too late to buy this year’s version, with June spent looking at Silver in Zacatecas, Mexico
, July consuming tart cherries in Traverse City, Michigan and last but not least December at the Zeppole Festival in Positano, Italy. Although February has come and gone, you can revisit it by ordering the Bridges in Pittsburgh as a frameable print in a variety of sizes. Perfect for the city’s 250th anniversary. The Block Island print (in the calendar and note card) represents an imaginary vacation to Block Island, Rhode Island to see the birds resting on the Atlantic fly away, to eat some homemade scones and to ride a bicycle along the beach. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association, the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. As Hill describes it, the patterns she creates are influenced by natural settings, local culture, and the events she imagines occurring there. Surround yourself with her work and you feel deposited in the middle of a travel story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jack London, Mark Twain, or Colette. Each print includes tidbits of information about the city and country name, the language, even travel miles. Other historical icons work their way in to the design story: old travel books from the American Geographical Society, hand painted boots from Austin, Texas, and more. These excursions translate into beautiful design elements, potential travelogues, and global awareness. JHill Designs: www.jhilldesigns.com

Handmade Paper Without the Trees: Green Field Paper Company

Alternatives to traditional paper made from trees are becoming an increasingly important part of a green lifestyle. While digital technology has drastically reduced paper consumption, we still can't seem to do without it completely! Tree-free paper is a great choice for invitations, thank you cards, business cards, and all those other must-have paper products. The Green Field Paper Company, based in San Diego, California, creates fine quality paper from garlic, hemp, old junk mail, denim, and more using a timeless handmade paper making process. The tree-free paper is available in an assortment of colors and can be purchased as sheets or in the form of note cards, business cards, journals, or sketch books. Wedding Invitations An eco-friendly wedding wouldn't be too green if it started with traditional invitations. These beautiful, handmade paper invitations are biodegradable and feature earth-friendly soy based ink. Prices begin at $4.50 per 100 invitations, including an assortment of elegant designs. Envelopes are available in hemp, as well as seed embedded paper. Watch Your Cards Grow Green Field's signature product is their seed embedded paper, appropriately named 'Grow-a-Note'. Business cards, thank you notes, and wedding invitations are just the beginning of the possibilities! The handmade, tree-free paper contains a mix of wildflower seeds along with planting instructions. The paper naturally nourishes the soil while a gorgeous array of flowers begin to bloom. Grow-a-Note cards start at $13.95 for 4 and is also available in sheets for $19.95 per package of 5. The Green Field Paper Company also offers a tremendous selection of recycled wrapping paper, printed with soy based ink, and can create custom marketing and promotional materials for your business on any of their specialty tree-free papers. Visit Green Field Paper Company to learn more. Images courtesy of GreenFieldPaper.com