Less Waste Though the Holidays - Wrapping and Gift Tag Ideas

Hopefully some of my ideas for waste-free gifts in my last post,  inspired you to give an experience  type gift instead of a thing.  Now that you are nearing the final days before Christmas, you may be thinking about how to wrap those presents.

Reuse:  In my family, we don't toss our gift bags.  We have been using the same gift bags for years now.  If one gets too mangled, then it is taken out of the rotation... but we all just save and pack them away until next year.

My kids don't like gift-bags.  They like the idea of opening a present, so here are a few idea for those who prefer to wrap.

Check out your local creative reuse center, or even your waste bin for goodies to create with...

Rudolph here is made from cardboard, some packing foam (antlers) and the rounds donated to ReCreate from a doctor's office.  The snowman   is made from empty drink lids, and a bits of odds and ends for the hat and scarf. these
are great gift toppers.

  
From Martha Stewart, a sparkly, shiny gift wrap idea, that comes from an old Potato chip bag?!  Eat, Wash, Wrap, Repeat.  I love this one!

From one of my favorite blogs to read, A Little Hut, is this beautiful use of.... popsicle sticks?!

This idea from Brit + Co. was originally for place-cards for Thanksgiving, but could be a super cute To/From tag for Christmas.

 Don't toss that old map.  We know you have GPS and your phone for directions, but this is a beautiful use for that old map!  We found this beautiful idea at

For more ideas, Check out my pinterest board.  Get creative and have fun with your wrapping!
Happy holidays!

Yes! Zero Waste Lotion and Lip Balm - With a Giveaway!

I mentioned last December that I had the chance to go hear Beth Terry, the author of  Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too.  One of my favorite tidbits of information, was a source for plastic free lotion and lip balms.  She told us about Organic Essence, a California based business that makes shea cream and lip balms that are packaged in a fiber based jar.   I had to try it out.

Organic Essence is a pretty cool company.  They use 100% USDA organic products,  no artificial colors, parabens or animal testing.  On the side of the Shea Cream, they have a back story, about their packaging.   A  30' sperm whale washed up on the shore of a Crescent City beach (where they are based.)  Scientists determined it has starved because it had ingested plastic.  This prompted Organic Essence to innovate and create their cardboard jar and packaging. 

I have to admit, I was curious to see how it would hold up.  I just used the last of my lotion about a month ago, and the last bit was as good as the first, and the jar was still in great shape.  The cream they make is shea based.  It isn't syrupy, it is thick, and when your hands heat it up it gets creamy, leaving a beautiful moist sheen on your skin.

They also make Organic Lip Balms in eco-tubes.   These are little tubes of goodness for your lips.   I tend to lean toward tinted lip balms, but these are so smooth and feel so nice on my lips that I  have definitely grown fond of this lip balm!

I’m not sure what I love most about their products, how they feel when I use them, or their innovative packaging.  It is home compostable (but it should not go in your green bin)!  I wish more companies would go this route.

For a generous giveaway from Organic Essence, they sent over a Grapefruit Organic Shea Cream and an Almond and Natural Lip Balms.  This giveaway would cost you just over $30.00 plus shipping if you had to purchase it.  Leave a comment about what you like about this giveaway, and we will randomly select a winner on September 14th.  I noticed that the lip balms are currently on sale for just $2.99, you might want to go snag some for that price!

The Random Generator chose #3, so congrats Angela - you won the prize!