Happy New Year.

Happy, Happy New Year Dear Sweet Greenies!

How will you be celebrating tonight? Are you going to let your little ones stay up late? Have you taken the time to reflect on your New Year's Resolutions? Are you going to kiss at midnight? Bang pots and pans on your front porch?

Is being more Eco friendly on your list? I sure, hope so. I am super excited for the coming year here at Sweet Greens. I look forward to sharing many more Earth friendly tips, projects and recipes this coming year. Also, there are many, many lovely green giveaways to come including fabulous things for your home and kitchen right around the corner. I want to take this time to thank you for being so supportive of Sweet Greens and I hope you continue to visit me on a daily basis. If there is anything that you would like to see more of or even less of on Sweet Greens, I would really appreciate hearing them. If you see any lovely green products or tips throughout the year, I would love if you share them with me. Just drop me a note at mysweetgreens at comcast dot net.

I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and green New Year and thank you so much for making my 2009 fabulous. Enjoy your night, stay safe and warm.

Photo Courtesy of Cinnamon*

Enjoy.
XO.

First Night:: Fort Collins 2010.

We usually spend New Year's Eve either at home or at the home of close friends. This year we decided that we wanted to go to First Night:: Fort Collins 2010. {Legends in the Night:: Festival of the Arts.} This is Fort Collins 14th Annual First Night celebration and includes an array of entertainment featuring performing acts, storytelling, street performers, international dancing and fireworks, all in a non-alcoholic setting.

The Downtown Fort Collins website sums it up well saying, "Where else can you see the Handsome Little Devils, Vaudevillian Variety Show, Top Hogs performing pigs (as seen on Animal Planet and David Letterman), The Best of the TriMedia Film Festival, Beet Street's Young Performer Academy and over 100 shows?" Sounds fun. We also plan to see 'Alice in Wonderland' on stage and Eben is excited for face painting and S'mores making. The best part is that we will be supporting our local community and it only costs $10 a person. Lovely, no?

All in all, we thought this would be a fab way to spend the holiday together as a family. I hope you have a lovely New Year and remember to be safe and have fun.

What do you think?

What are your New Year's Eve plans?

Xo.

Green New Years Resolutions 2010.

In an effort to be more Earth friendly and to make 2010 as green as possible, my family has decided to make some green goals this year.

Here are our 2010 green resolutions::

1. We will no longer go 'out' to eat as often and when we do, we are going to remain eating locally.

2. We will no longer make frivolous purchases. By doing so, we will create less waste and use less energy. When we do make purchases we are going to continue to shop locally.

3. We will start incorporating more physical local activities into our family time. Whether it is bowling on Wii, hiking, walking, swimming or biking, we want to do more of it this year.

4. We plan to purchase more organic items in loose this year and will take our own containers to the store to bring them home in.

5. We want to produce as little garbage as possible, so we are going to be more conscious of the packaging that the products that we buy are in and we want to make sure that we recycle and compost everything that we can.

It's a start.

What are your Green New Years Resolutions?

Photo Courtesy of Cinnamon*
XO.

Recycle Your Holiday Tree.

If you bought a cut holiday tree this year, you may be starting to think of disposing of it. It may seem like the easiest thing to do is just throw it out for the garbage service to pick up. However, there are recycling options available that are more beneficial to the Earth. Did you know that your holiday tree can be recycled into something useful? It's true, your holiday tree can be recycled into mulch for your garden or local hiking trails and it can even be recycled into fish habitats. You can find holiday tree recycling services in your area at Earth911.com.

How will you dispose of holiday tree?

Photo Courtesy of Cinnamon*

XO.

Christmas in the Mountains.

Eben and I are back from our Christmas vacation in Utah. It was nice to wake up to snow covered mountains and snow flurries everyday. How was your holiday weekend? What are your New Year's Eve plans?

Today, I am going to snuggle up in front of the fireplace and write my holiday thank you cards. I am excited to be back and was wondering, what would you like to see at Sweet Greens in 2010?

P.S. I am extending the remaining Etsy giveaways through the New Year to give everyone a chance to enter.

{Photo:: This is the view from my the front windows of my parent's home}

XO.

Have a Very Lovely Christmas.

Hello all my green lovelies. Are you ready for Christmas? Can you believe that it is in 2 days? By the time you read this, Eben and I will be in Utah. We will be spending a few days with my parents. We will be staying in my childhood home in Liberty, Utah. Liberty is a small mountain community and my parents home is nestled between Wolf Mountain Ski Resort and Pine View Reservoir. It is a beautiful place and I am excited to go home again. It will be lovely to see the snow covered mountains and frozen water. {I will take pictures to share with you.} We will be spending time baking goodies with my sister and her 3 adorable children on Christmas Eve and enjoying brunch and exchanging gifts with my entire family at my sister's home on Christmas morning.

The remainder of my visit will be spent at Mr. Sweet Greens mother's home. They live at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, the town where Mr. Sweet Greens and I lived, met, fell in love and were married 10 years ago. It will be fantastic to visit those memories again. It will also be lovely to spend time with Mr. Sweet Greens' family, we will be enjoying a lovely Christmas dinner together . I always feel so relaxed at my mother in law's home, it is always warm and cozy and this year Jayson's brother and his son, Eben's cousin {who is the same age as Eben} will be spending the entire time there with us. Eben can. not. wait. He has been excited for weeks.

Our stay in Utah sounds pretty laid back and relaxed, which is perfect for this time of year. I want to wish all of you a lovely holiday weekend, I hope you enjoy yourselves and your time with your family. I hope you have time to relax and enjoy the moment. I look forward to another wonderful year at Sweet Greens and would like to thank you for your love and support. I will talk to you again on December 29th.

How are you spending Christmas?

What traditions does your family celebrate?

Have a lovely Christmas.

Photo Via Flickr. {this is about a minute away from my parent's home, fabulous.}

XO.

Sweet Greens Advertising for 2010.

Do you have an Earth friendly company or Etsy shop? Do you want to reach hundreds of green minded readers? Sweet Greens is looking for sponsors for 2010. The rates are super affordable and perfect for small businesses. If you are interested please email me at mysweetgreens at comcast dot net.

Enjoy.

Photo Courtesy of Cinnamon*

XO.

Last Minute Holiday Shopping? Try These 6 Great Etsy Shops.

Have you finished your holiday shopping? I recently wrote an article for Cascadian Farm on 6 of my fave Etsy Shops called, 'Last Minute Holiday Shopping? Try These 6 Great Etsy Shops.' Did your shop make the list? If you have finished your holiday shopping, you may want to keep these shops in mind for future gifts.

P.S. I would love if you visit my blog at Cascadian Farm and let me know your thoughts.

What are your fave Etsy shops?

Photo via Chakra Pennywhistle.

XO.

On the 12th Day of Etsy...{Giveaway!} CLOSED

♫ my true love gave to me one bike burrito, ♫ a fantastic recycled baby bib, ♫ a lovely pair of recycled earrings, ♫ a beautiful pair of handmade shoes, ♫ a couple of sweet little cases, ♫ fabulous natural skin care, ♫ a beautiful organic double v shirt, ♫ a fab alphabet pillow made from recycled suits, ♫ a handful of sweet upcycled heart felts, ♫ three lovely reclaimed wooden handcrafts, ♫ two calling handmade upcycled bird ornaments, ♫ and a fantastic stocking made from men's recycled suits. ♫

Giveaway number 12 is a fabulous, fabulous Bike Burrito. Are you familiar with Bike Burritos? Do you ride your bike? Mr. Sweet Greens and I do quite often and I think I see Bike Burritos in our future. Are you asking, "What is a Bike Burrito?" In Jayme's {the designer} words, 'The Bike Burrito is a funky twist on the classic bike tool roll. It is designed to carry your bike essentials in style!' Isn't that great?

Jayme Bassett collaborated with her friend Russ Roca in December 2008 and came up with the Bike Burrito. Their main goal was to provide cyclists with a classy and functional alternative to carry their bicycle accessories in style. The Bike Burritos come in tweeds, plaids, quirky patterns and are all lined with a long lasting canvas interior. Lovely, no? Wouldn't these make fantastic gifts?

Jayme lives in Long Beach, California with her boyfriend and their three cats. They are both car free individuals and do everything by bicycle and/or public transit. Fabulous! The first trip that really defined their relationship was a two week bicycle tour down the Oregon Coast. How fitting. I love it, I want to go on a two week bicycle tour with Mr. Sweet Greens.

The winner of this giveaway will receive a regular Bike Burrito that contains 3 pockets perfect for a spare tube, multi-tool and some spare wrenches. I think this is something that everyone who rides their bike should have and the best part, it looks fantastic.

A huge thank you to Bike Burrito for hosting this lovely giveaway.

*UPDATE: WINNER:: #14 Betsabè Congratulations and thank you to everyone who entered.

{How to Win}

* You have until December 30th @ 12 am EST to enter this giveaway.

* Visit Bike Burrito and leave me a comment telling me which bike burrito matches your personality.

One comment per person please.

Additional Entries**** Please help me spread the word about Sweet Greens' 12 Days of Etsy by sharing it twitter, facebook, kirtsy, your blog or any other social website that you use. I would greatly appreciate it! {Please leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.}

Are you wondering what the 12 Days of Etsy are, read about it here.

xo.

Cozy Mittens.

I love, love, love mittens. I do not own a pair of gloves, but I have several pairs of mittens. They are so cozy and chic. I think these lovely recycled elbow length lambswool mittens found at Supermarket would be perfect for a cold December day like today.

What do you think?

Photo Via Supermarket.

XO.

8 Fun Winter Family Activities that are Earth Friendly.

Eben has 18 days off from school for winter break. Wow! 18 days. I have a lot of fun activities planned for those 18 days. So far, during winter vacation we have enjoyed make your own pizza and sundae nights. We have also baked together, enjoyed family game night and story time together. I am hoping that it will snow over the winter break, so we can get outside to do some fun winter activities, such as fort building and snow tubing. I think winter is the perfect time to spend bonding together as a family. It seems like the colder it gets outside, the more time my family has to do things together. I recently featured ' 8 Fun Winter Family Activities that are Earth Friendly', which showcases some of my fave things to do with my family during the wintertime that can be done either at home or close to home. All of these things are good for your family, the environment and your pocketbook.

What are your fave winter family activities?

XO.

On the 11th Day of Etsy...{Giveaway!} CLOSED

♫ my true love gave to me a fantastic recycled baby bib, a lovely pair of recycled earrings, a beautiful pair of handmade shoes, a couple of sweet little cases, fabulous natural skin care, a beautiful organic double v shirt, a fab alphabet pillow made from recycled suits, ♫ a handful of sweet upcycled heart felts, ♫ three lovely reclaimed wooden handcrafts, ♫ two calling handmade upcycled bird ornaments, ♫ and a fantastic stocking made from men's recycled suits. ♫

Giveaway number eleven is for the wee little ones on your holiday shopping list. An adorable recycled hand printed bib from Strand Redesign. The winner will have their choice of bib, but my personal fave is Mrs. Cow in Orange. {Orange is my fave color.}

Strand Redesign is owned by Unni Strand, who lives in Norwa. Unni is 36 years old and works as a teacher instructing art and design. Unni has a particular passion for textile and also has a background in weaving. Unni says, 'She lives in a grey house, has two children, and grows her own vegetables.' Lovely, no? The best part is Unni's number one rule which is when she makes her designs she uses recycled materials as much as possible. She finds her fabrics at flea markets then brings them home and washes, hand prints and turns them into new, fabulous usable items that you will love.

I also love, love, love::

The Hand Printed Hen Pin Cushion $7

Organic Mrs. Cow Tee Shirt $32

A lovely thank you to Strand Redesign for hosting this fab giveaway.

*UPDATE: WINNER:: #10 Phoenix. Yay! Congratulations and thank you to everyone who entered.

{How to Win}

* You have until December 29th 12 am EST to enter this giveaway.

* Visit Strand Redesign and leave me a comment telling me which item you would love to wear.One comment per person please.

Additional Entries**** Please help me spread the word about Sweet Greens' 12 Days of Etsy by sharing it twitter, facebook, kirtsy, your blog or any other social website that you use. I would greatly appreciate it! {Please leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.}

Are you wondering what the 12 Days of Etsy are, read about it here.

xo.

7 Simple Steps to Green Your Home in 2010.

Have you been looking for simple ways to green your home in 2010? Visit my blog at Cascadian Farm and check out my '7 Simple Steps to Green Your Home in 2010', you will find simple ways to green every area of your home for the new year. It really is easy to start going green and if you follow these 7 simple steps, you will be there in no time. If you visit my Cascadian Farm blog, please leave me a comment telling me what you think.

How will you green your home in 2010?

Photo Courtesy of Cascadian Farm.

XO.

Tiny Gingerbread Houses.

Oh my! Have you seen the tiny gingerbread houses perched on cocoa mugs at Not Martha. Are these ridiculously cute or what? I love, love, love them. Eben and I will be out of town for the remainder of the holiday season, but next year we are definitely making these cuties.

What do you think?

Via Not Martha.

Xo.

Have a Lovely Green Weekend.

Hello all my green lovelies. How was your week? Did you enjoy Hanukkah? Are you excited for Solstice and Christmas? Have you finished your holiday shopping? Did you purchase or give green gifts? Did you use green gift wrap? Questions, questions, questions.

My weekend starts early today at noon with Eben's class holiday party, complete with games of dreidel and pass the present, a recycled white elephant book party and s'mores making. {Eben's teacher brings everything to make s'mores including canned heat to melt the marshmallows.} How fabulous is that? The holiday party will be followed by a viewing of 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,' popcorn and a holiday sing a long. Whew! That is a lot for one afternoon, no?

Tonight will begin by lighting the last candle of Hanukkah and enjoying another fabulous meal together, followed by Hanukkah stories, Eben's last night of present opening and another round of Super Mario Brothers on Wii. {Eben is only allowed to play the Wii or watch a movie on the weekend, so we are pretty excited}. I will then be preparing for our trip to Utah, Eben and I will be in Utah spending time with our entire family for the holidays. {I will update you on all the fun Utah happenings while we are there.} Unfortunately, Mr. Sweet Greens has to work and will be staying home.

What are your weekend plans?

P.S. Have you entered to win all of the goodies in The 12 Days of Etsy? There are still a lot of goodies up for grabs.

Photo Courtesy of Cinnamon*

XO.

On the 10th Day of Etsy...{Giveaway!} CLOSED

♫ my true love gave to me a a lovely pair of recycled earrings, a beautiful pair of handmade shoes, a couple of sweet little cases, fabulous natural skin care, a beautiful organic double v shirt, a fab alphabet pillow made from recycled suits, ♫ a handful of sweet upcycled heart felts, ♫ three lovely reclaimed wooden handcrafts, ♫ two calling handmade upcycled bird ornaments, ♫ and a fantastic stocking made from men's recycled suits. ♫

Giveaway number ten is a lovely pair of antiqued copper earrings made from remnants that were headed for the trash. These lovely little earrings are etched, cut and antiqued by a family of four Tracy, Matt, Emily and Matthew Prince from Stepping Stones Etsy Shop. Each family member at Stepping Stones brings creative and humor to the shop. {I love, love, love this. Wouldn't it be wonderful to work everyday with your entire family?} Another lovely feature, they are also member's of Team Eco Etsy.

Tracy has been collecting sea glass and stones since she was a little girl. She and her family do everything that they can to clean up the Earth and create less waste. Tracy has recently started metal smithing and collects the scrap metal that her classmates would usual throw away. She takes this scrap metal and makes things, such as the lovely pair of earrings that are up for grabs. Stepping Stones also specializes in Sea art, just browse their shop and you will find jewelry made from sea glass, sea gems, rocks, pebbles and more. Fantastic. I think anything from Stepping Stones would make a lovely holiday gift.

A lovely thank you to Stepping Stones for hosting this fab giveaway.

*UPDATE: WINNER:: #60 Anne J. Thanks again to everyone who entered.

{How to Win}

* You have until December 29th 12 am EST to enter this giveaway.
* Visit Stepping Stones and leave me a comment telling me which item you would love to wear.
One comment per person please.

Additional Entries**** Please help me spread the word about Sweet Greens' 12 Days of Etsy by sharing it twitter, facebook, kirtsy, your blog or any other social website that you use. I would greatly appreciate it! {Please leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.}

Are you wondering what the 12 Days of Etsy are, read about it here.

XO

Calling All Earth Friendly Etsy Shops.

Do you have an Earth friendly Etsy Shop? Does your shop recycle something old into something fabulous? Do you make Eco friendly goodies that you want to tell the world about? Would you like to be featured on Sweet Greens? If so, please email me at mysweetgreens at comcast dot net and tell me about your Earth friendly shop. What makes it Earth friendly? Why do you do what you do? I am looking for fabulous shops to feature in my weekly Earth friendly Etsy segments for the coming year and would love, love, love to hear about yours? Remember each feature includes a giveaway, so please tell me about the item that you would like to giveaway as well. This is an excellent opportunity to get your Earth friendly Etsy shop featured to a large community of people who love, love, love all things Eco friendly and handmade. But hurry, my Earth Friendly Etsy slots are very, very popular and will fill quickly.

Have a lovely day.

Photo Via Chakra Pennywhistle.
XO.

On the 9th Day of Etsy...{Giveaway!} CLOSED

♫ my true love gave to me a beautiful pair of handmade shoes, a couple of sweet little cases, fabulous natural skin care, a beautiful organic double v shirt, a fab alphabet pillow made from recycled suits, ♫ a handful of sweet upcycled heart felts, ♫ three lovely reclaimed wooden handcrafts, ♫ two calling handmade upcycled bird ornaments, ♫ and a fantastic stocking made from men's recycled suits. ♫

Giveaway number nine is a lovely, lovely, lovely pair of house shoes from the Etsy Shop Infusion. {Your size 5-10} Infusion is one of my fave Etsy shops, I have reviewed them before here. The owner and designer Abby Meadow says, "these lovely house shoes will make your feet so happy!" They are soft, cloudy, gray blue brushed cotton twill that is balanced with a surprise of vintage plaid lining. The sole is a chocolate brown rugged hemp canvas. These lovely shoes are made with reclaimed, vintage and sustainable materials and lined with fleece for a bit of padding and added structure. How lovely is that? I would love, love, love a pair myself. Wouldn't these shoes be a lovely holiday surprise for your sister, mother or your best friend? They even come in toddler sizes.

Infusion isn't just shoes, you will also find that Abby's collection includes fabulous and beautiful clothing, home accessories and bags. All of her lovely items are hand sewn, using sustainable and high quality textiles. Abby strives to create durable and long lasting items that are both functional and beautiful. Shes uses natural, organic, sustainable and recycled fibers and fabrics. She also makes every effort possible to be kind and gentle to the Earth and to the life forms that live on the Earth every day of her life.

Some other items that I absolutely adore are::

Hemp Blossom $65

Charcoal Tunic Dress $47

Hemp Wrislet $31

A huge thank you to Abby @ Infusion for hosting this lovely giveaway.

*UPDATE: WINNER:: #87 The Fam. Congrats and thanks again to everyone who entered.

{How to Win}

* You have until December 29th 12 am EST to enter this giveaway.

* Visit Infusion leave me a comment telling me which item you would love to wear.

One comment per person please.

Additional Entries**** Please help me spread the word about Sweet Greens' 12 Days of Etsy by sharing it twitter, facebook, kirtsy, your blog or any other social website that you use. I would greatly appreciate it! {Please leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.}

Are you wondering what the 12 Days of Etsy are, read about it here.
XO

On the 8th Day of Etsy...{Giveaway!} CLOSED

♫ my true love gave to me, a couple of sweet little cases, fabulous natural skin care, a beautiful organic double v shirt, a fab alphabet pillow made from recycled suits, ♫ a handful of sweet upcycled heart felts, ♫ three lovely reclaimed wooden handcrafts, ♫ two calling handmade upcycled bird ornaments, ♫ and a fantastic stocking made from men's recycled suits. ♫

Giveaway number eight is two lovely little cases from Wooly Bison. These cases could be used to hold eyeglasses, coins, cosmetics or any other goodies that you don't want rolling around in the bottom of your handbag or backpack. The owner of Wooly Bison, Ingrid creates lovely satchels, purses and bags using recycled suit jackets and vintage wool, which is then lined with other found material. {I love this theme of lovely things made using suit jackets.}

Wouldn't these little cases be perfect to give as teacher gifts? Eben purchased a case similar to this one from a local Boulder artist to give to his teacher this year as a holiday gift. It is lovely. You could also stuff them with your fave cosmetics or jewelry and make the perfect gift for your best friend. I also love, love, love Wooly Bison's satchels, my favorite is the Recycled Farrah Satchel. Wouldn't you love to receive one of these bags this holiday season?

A big thank you to Wooly Bison for hosting this fab giveaway.

*UPDATE: WINNER:: #40 Angie. Yay! Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered.

{How to Win}

* You have until December 24th at 12 am EST to enter this giveaway.
* Visit Wooly Bison and leave me a comment telling me which item you think your skin would benefit from.
One comment per person please.

Additional Entries**** Please help me spread the word about Sweet Greens' 12 Days of Etsy by sharing it twitter, facebook, kirtsy, your blog or any other social website that you use. I would greatly appreciate it! {Please leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.}

Are you wondering what the 12 Days of Etsy are, read about it here.

XO

Gifts for Cooks:: The CookBookery

Do you have a Julia Child on your holiday list? A budding pastry chef? How about someone who really, really enjoys cooking? Or, have you yourself been looking for that heirloom cookbook that your mother or grandmother used when you were a child? Did you know that you can still find those rare and fabulous cookbooks? Who knew? I recently found The CookBookery, an online cookbook store that specializes in rare, vintage and hard to find cookbooks. Heaven.

When I started to browse The CookBookery I immediately thought of Mr. Sweet Greens, who loves, loves, loves to cook. I also thought of the cookbook that we had in our household as a child. You know the cookbook with chocolate fingerprints and greasy stains on every page? I remember spending countless hours with my mom baking cookies and brownies from that cookbook. I am seriously considering browsing until I find that cookbook and ordering a copy for Eben and I to share. I think that I will also talk with Mr. Sweet Greens' mother to find out which cookbooks she used when Mr. Sweet Greens was growing up. I think Mr. Sweet Greens would love to receive some of those cookbooks as future gifts. Wouldn't a cookbook from the past of a friend or family member be the perfect holiday gift? Not to mention, a shelf full of fab rare and vintage cookbooks looks lovely, no?

Do you collect heirloom cookbooks?

Which are your faves?

Photo Via The CookBookery.

XO.

On the 7th Day of Etsy...{Giveaway!} CLOSED

♫ my true love gave to me, fabulous natural skin care, a beautiful organic double v shirt, a fab alphabet pillow made from recycled suits, ♫ a handful of sweet upcycled heart felts, ♫ three lovely reclaimed wooden handcrafts, ♫ two calling handmade upcycled bird ornaments, ♫ and a fantastic stocking made from men's recycled suits. ♫

Giveaway number seven is perfect for anyone on your holiday shopping list. A $25 gift certificate to Joyful Girl Naturals. Joyful Girl Naturals has lovely skin care products for women, men, children and even your home and pets. The owner, Shelly has been making natural and organic bath and body products as well as herbal remedies for over 20 years. Shelly makes all of her products from scratch so she can easily customize any of the products to meet the customer's needs. Shelly offers top quality products that are affordable to everyone. {Which I love, love, love.} She infuses her own oils and recipes. The winner of this gift certificate can work with Shelly directly to find the perfect products for her skin. Or, you can pick out any items that you would like for yourself or your loved ones.

Shelly at Joyful Girl Naturals was so lovely to send me my own customized skin care kit and it is fabulous. I really enjoy the fresh clean scent of all of the products. My favorite products are the Anti Acne Roll On Spot Treatment, the Calendula Lavender and Sweet Orange Natural Face Wash and the Natural Facial Moisturizer in Lavender.

Shelly can customize a skin care kit that will work wonderfully with your own skin. I think you will enjoy the products and find that using natural products for the health of your skin and body is the only way to go.

A big thank you to Joyful Girl Naturals for hosting this lovely giveaway.

*UPDATE: WINNER:: #5 MVegan. Congrats and thank you to everyone who entered.

{How to Win}

* You have until December 22nd at 12 am EST to enter this giveaway.

* Visit Joyful Girl Naturals and leave me a comment telling me which item you think your skin would benefit from.

One comment per person please.

Additional Entries**** Please help me spread the word about Sweet Greens' 12 Days of Etsy by sharing it twitter, facebook, kirtsy, your blog or any other social website that you use. I would greatly appreciate it! {Please leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.}

Are you wondering what the 12 Days of Etsy are, read about it here.
XO

How Tuesday:: Green Your Holiday Gift Wrapping.

It's time to get all of those holiday gifts wrapped and ready for to be given. All the pretty paper, tags and bows only stay on the gifts for a short period of time before they are ripped off and disposed of. Here are some ideas you can use to green your holiday gift wrapping. By doing these things you can save the environment and some money at the same time.

Read All About It:: Use newspaper, comics or old magazines to wrap goodies this year. These papers are going to go into the recycling bin regardless, they may as well shine for a day wrapped up with a big reusable bow on top.

Thrifted Pattern Gift Wrap:: I love this tutorial from one of my fave shops:: Chakra Pennywhistle. Rikkianne uses vintage sewing patterns that she finds at her local thrift to wrap up gifts. How lovely is that?

Give Paper a 2nd Life:: When gifts are being opened, collect the paper, ribbon, bows and tags that could be used again next year. This will save you money and keep the gift wrap out of the landfill or recycling bin.

Just Bag It:: There are many great reusable Eco friendly bags available. Some of my favorites are from Amy Butler's Gift Wrap Green. I really like that these bags are made from 100% post-consumer waste paper and soy based ink. They also have pretty ribbon handles with gift cards attached. After the gift is opened, make sure someone keeps the bag. {Hopefully, it will be you.}

Reusable Boxes:: These are very similar to the reusable bags, however look super cute stacked together in groups under a tree or on a bench. Try to find reusable boxes that are made using 100% post-consumer waste and again make sure someone keeps the box.

Wrap it Up:: Have you heard of Furoshiki Gift Wrapping? Watch the video, you will love it. How fun is that? You can also buy Furoshiki Wrapping on Etsy.

Tag it:: I recycle all of my holiday cards into holiday gift tags for the following year. This is a fun activity that be done with the kids and saves you from having to purchase gift tags. These gift tags are also very unique and fun.

How do you green your holiday gift wrapping?
What are your favorite ways?

Photo via Chakra Pennywhistle.

XO.

On the 6th Day of Etsy....{Giveaway!} CLOSED

♫ my true love gave to me, a beautiful organic double v shirt, a fab alphabet pillow made from recycled suits, ♫ a handful of sweet upcycled heart felts, ♫ three lovely reclaimed wooden handcrafts, ♫ two calling handmade upcycled bird ornaments, ♫ and a fantastic stocking made from men's recycled suits. ♫

Giveaway number 6 is an absolutely fabulous giveaway from My Dear Thing. This is an Organic Double V Shirt and it is lovely. How lucky will the winner of this fabulous shirt be? This would also make the loveliest gift.

Lauren designed this shirt to gracefully take the place of tee shirts in her wardrobe. Lauren says, "it is cut to accentuate and flatter curves, while scrunching up in other places." The Double V Shirt has 2 V's, one in front neck line and a shorter one in back. When she make these she uses two opposite sides of the fabric which makes the edges curl slightly and enhance the organic quality of the fabric. These lovely shirts are made using a blend of organic cotton, bamboo and spandex. This is a super soft shirt that you will want to wear every day. {This I totally believe, don't they look so soft?}

Lauren is an independent fashion designer living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with my husband and 3 cats. Lauren studied fashion design at The Fashion Institute of Technology and is constantly experimenting with new ideas, techniques and materials. She designs, drafts, cuts, sews, dyes, and knits everything herself while listening to her fave radio programs. {What a great life, no?} She recently quit her day job designing knit wear for Urban Outfitters and Anthropology to do her own thing and she loves, loves, loves it.

Some other items that I adore are::

The Carly Dress $118

The Double V Mini $58

A huge, huge thank you to My Dear Thing for hosting this lovely giveaway.

*UPDATE: WINNER:: #10 Willo. Thank you for much to everyone who entered.

{How to Win}

* You have until December 21st at 12 am EST to enter this giveaway.

* Visit My Dear Thing and leave a comment telling me what item you would love to receive this holiday season.

One comment per person please.

Additional Entries

**** Please help me spread the word about Sweet Greens' 12 Days of Etsy by sharing it twitter, facebook, kirtsy, your blog or any other social website that you use. I would greatly appreciate it! {Please leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.}

Are you wondering what the 12 Days of Etsy are, read about it here.

XO