Natural Holiday Tablescapes

Well, 2008 is almost over, but I still have some holiday decorating ideas...maybe next year. Along with my sad holly Christmas tree, we cut some small branches from the evergreens that surround our house and brought them inside to make some centerpieces for the tables. Fresh evergreen branches (these are cedar) smell great, and make the whole house seem earthy and fresh and natural. On the big table I made a fun, silly spread with garlands, round shiny candles, some ornaments, and some larger pieces I found in the depths of the dreaded "Holiday Decorations - Misc." box. What a great source for inspiration - I don't know the last time some of these things saw the light of day. You know you have a box like that - why not go rummaging and see what you can find?

Here is the fun, bright tablescape:
I also found some beautiful gold pinecones and sweetgum pods (the round spiky ones), as well as a large gold bow that used to be on a wreath. I decided to make another, smaller spray on a different table, and to make this one a little more sophisticated by sticking to a gold color theme. What do you think?

Holiday Decorating

Hello everyone, and I hope you all had/are having a wonderful holiday season! Mine was nice, though punctuated by travel mishaps and minimal time spent at home. It was also an unconventional Christmas for me, as Christmases go - because of snow and ice, we were unable to get a tree this year. (There was also fun with a tow truck on Christmas day, but we won't go into that.)

Without a tree to decorate on Christmas Eve, our first idea was to decorate a potted plant (sad, but could also be hilarious). Then my father decided to "prune" the holly tree out back, and came back with a six- to seven-foot branch - a bit aggressive for "pruning", wouldn't you say? We promptly decided to use this as our tree, spiky and scraggly though it was:

how sad is this?

We cut off the top two feet and spliced it back on so it stood up straight(er). I decorated it (carefully...those leaves are sharp!) with lights and ornaments, and I actually really like the finished look. Maybe not as elegant or full as an ideal tree, but beautiful in its own way:


I hope you like my last minute, pulled-together tree! More holiday fun coming later.

Recycled Gift Wrapping

Since we're getting closer to Christmas and Hanukkah, that means that our holiday shopping *should* be almost done, and it's time to wrap!

I decided to do my wrapping as simply and cheaply as possible, while of course staying planet-healthy. The only things I bought were two kinds of ribbon - cheap, and don't take much space in the trash after the holidays are over.

What do you think?


For the paper, I used colored comics (always fun), plain brown paper and white tissue paper that were padding in a package I received.

I used some of those plastic bag pom-poms from before and my two kinds of ribbon in different ways - I love the overall look, and it is a fun and easy way to wrap. No wrapping paper needed!

Hope you like my easy, chic, and cheap gift-wrapping!

Decorating for a Holiday Party

My friends had a small holiday party the other day. Small, as in a tiny studio apartment in the Village. Small, as in not too many people. Small, as in the tree was about two feet tall (a living tree in a pot - well done!). Small, as in a few hours on a weeknight.

The problem: how to decorate? It needed to be cheap, small, fun, and no-fuss. We put together a pack of construction paper, scissors, and a few odds and ends like string and cotton balls. Add a few googly eyes (who doesn't love googly eyes?) and some creative people, and you have a party!

Here are a few specific decorations we made:


This is a mobile I made that is a super-simple way to jazz up any party. With one sheet of thick, stiff paper (I used cardstock), cut a spiral. Attach small paper snowflakes (or origami cranes, or photos, or anything!) with small pieces of string to small holes cut in the spiral. Secure to a doorjamb or the ceiling, and you're done! It looks way fancier than it is.


Here's the tiny tree! Isn't it cute? There is only one "real" ornament on the tree - the fox that we put at the top like a star. Everything else we made! There are lights, paper cranes, and cool paper snowflakes that are actually for scrapbooks or craft projects, but we just tucked into the needles of the tree - a great, easy way to make a tree look amazing for very little money. My friend made the blue-and-white Hanukkah paper chain, and of course we hung a few candy canes in there as well.
A close-up of the adorable snowman my friend and I made - cotton balls, construction paper buttons, scarf, and nose, and googly eyes equals SO cute. In the background is an origami tree painted with little colored dots.


This was our Decorate Your Own Cookie spread! (Could anything be faster and easier than making your guests do the decorating for you?) The toppings are in origami boxes and Hanukkah gelt is strewn around. Try crushing some candy canes for a delicious topping!

Hope you enjoyed our low-cost, eco-friendly holiday party: when all of your decorations are paper, you can save them for next year or toss them in the recycling bin!

Origami Tree: Museum of Natural History

While I was recently attending a holiday party at the American Museum of Natural History (the greatest museum of all time, by the way), I was enthralled by their version of the holiday tree:

It was entirely decorated in origami, but not just any origami - animal origami! Surrounding the tree at the base were even more creations by the AMNH origami department (yes, it exists). These were some of the most incredible things I had ever seen in the paper folding world: entire articulated dinosaur skeletons, a grasshopper on the origami stem of an origami flower, herds of horses, millipedes...I was in awe. Here are a few more pictures to attempt to do this tree justice:
What an easy, almost-no-waste, recyclable and reusable way to decorate a holiday tree! This inspired a (MUCH) smaller version at a friend's holiday party - pictures tomorrow....

Recycled Holiday Garland!

Here, finally, is the finished recycled garland! Made completely from items found around the house - recycled newspaper, magazines, bags, and some tinfoil. What do you think?


You can see the base made of braided newspaper, made sparkly with tinfoil, and the origami flowers and cranes from junk mail as well as the grocery bag pom-poms and paper flowers! (Please ignore the ugly plain wall behind it.) Here's a close-up of some of the decorations:


Do you like it? It was fun to make, eco-friendly, and a nice (reusable!) holiday decoration that won't wilt or leave needles on the floor.

Is public transportation always greener?

At first glance, it may appear that New York City is an incredibly un-green place to live. There are so many buildings and cars and roads... how could it possibly be an eco-friendly city?

On the other hand, millions of New Yorkers don't own cars, and even those who do often take public transportation. There is far more walking as a part of daily life than in most places in the country - no house-car-office-car-house pattern here! If I want to go anywhere on the eastern seaboard, all I have to do is hop on a bus or a train.

But is public transportation really greener than driving? What about all the time? Here is a great article from Slate magazine discussing the issue - it references a study from the University of California, Berkely to talk about the effects that different forms of public transportation on the environment as compared to normal cars.

The links are there in case you want more detail, but here's the point for those of you who are happy with the nutshell version:

Basically, public transportation is far better than cars at peak hours (as one would expect) when there are lots of people using it. However, trains and buses are much worse than cars at off-peak hours. Generally, a normal car needs three or more passengers to break even with a train. The average passengers for a car is a mere 1.58 - half as many!

When there are not many people aboard, however, buses are the worst environmental option, followed by a train and then a car. But in general, and especially in NY where a car may not be an option, I'll stick with my public transportation and feel good about it.

Of course, bikes and good old fashioned walking win over everything.

Just some thoughts to mull over on your daily commute, whatever that may be!

Junk Mail Origami Flowers

Today I continued my recycled wreath decorating with some origami flowers made from junk mail! Patience - the finished garland will come soon.

Here are the flowers I made today, using online guides I found (links below):

Simply cut a page from a magazine or ad into a square and get to it! These are pretty and look much harder than they really are.

Lily, top (most difficult)
Flower, lower left (easiest)
Lotus, lower right (medium difficulty)

These look great added to my newspaper wreath!

Recycled Flowers

The wreath I made last week is nice, but today I decided to spruce it up a bit with a garland and more decoration. That will come later in the week, but for a sneak peek, here is an easy, pretty DIY decoration: Recycled flowers!These are super easy and so cute - they can go on a wreath or garland for the holidays, on top of a present, on the corners of a bulletin board ...anywhere!

DIY Recycled Flowers

Step 1: Cut 4 circles in increasing size, in alternating materials. For the two flowers above, I used a brown grocery bag, a white paper shopping bag, a black plastic grocery bag, and tinfoil. You will also need a short length of string for each flower and a few small, rectangular-ish scraps of one of your flower materials (these scraps will be the center of the flower, so make sure the correctly alternating color is used for the scraps). You can also add a cut-out leaf shape or two in one of the materials as well. Below is a picture of all the materials I used for these two flowers:
Step 2: Gather the rectangular scraps and tie the string around the middle like so:and then cut a small hole through the center of your circles:

Step 3: Pull the strings through the circles and scrunch the petals into shape. Add the leaf to the bottom, and there you go!Any kind of paper could be used for these flowers - the plastic and tinfoil scrunch a bit better, where the paper is more clean and simple. I love the look, and it only takes a minute!
Anyone have any other ideas for where to use these flowers?

Gift Idea: Adopt-an-Animal

This is the time of year when every blog, newspaper, magazine, and website puts out gift lists. Guess I'd better get on that bandwagon. Well, maybe not an entire list, but here is one gift idea that I always advocate: Adopt-an-animal.

There are many organizations and companies that have programs like this, and here's the basic idea: you donate a certain amount of money to a wildlife conservation organization. They use that money to help protect and conserve the specific type of animal that you choose, and you get a certificate, information, photo, and often a stuffed animal toy of your "adopted" animal.

This is such a great gift because while there is an actual object - the stuffed animal - there is more meaning to the gift than "just another" toy. And it is appropriate for any age! If you have a young relative, this is a great way to give them a nice toy while also setting a valuable example by donating to a worthy cause in their name. How great would it be to build a stuffed animal collection that had so much good will and eco-friendly meaning behind it? It's great for adults, too - pick a friend's favorite animal and donate to that cause - they will love the information and photos, and will truly appreciate your caring and effort.

I have been given an "adopted" animal as a present before, and it would be a great gift again and again! It's a nice alternative to more meaningless "stuff".

A couple of good sites that list TONS of options for species to adopt include:
Defenders of Wildlife
and
World Wildlife Fund

If you're having trouble thinking of gifts to give this holiday season, consider an adopted animal. You'll feel great and so will the lucky gift recipient!

(above: red panda - how can you resist?!)

DIY Feather Hair Clips

Inspired by headbands and hairclips like these, and by my 20s flapper halloween costume and love of swing dancing, I have been wanting something with feathers to put in my hair for some time now.

I made a simple, small version appropriate for everyday using cheap materials and some feathers from my friends Rodney and Floyd, the helmeted guineafowl.

Here is one shown in my hair:
Here are the materials I used: Krazy glue, cheap metal hair clips, and feathers. Can't get more simple than that! The finished clip is at the top of the picture:Despite learning the hard way that Krazy Glue on fingers really, really hurts, this was an easy and quick project. Hope you like it!

Wish List: Crochet Alpaca Butterflies

Everyone loves the beauty and simplicity of butterfly wings. It is only natural to want something so gorgeous as a decorating element in one's house. But dead, formaldehyde-infused insects on my walls? No thanks.

That's why I instantly fell in love with these crochet butterflies from Oeuf NYC.


Not only are they detailed and beautiful, but they are hand-made by indigenous women in Bolivia and fair-trade sold to help their children go to school. Even better!

They are a little pricey for my normal shopping range, but maybe someday I'll get them as a present. If not, I can just admire them from a distance.

Faux-nature at its best!

Decorating a wall on a budget - pashminas!

I have had a large blank, white wall staring at me since I moved into my apartment. It was not pretty or soothing in the least, but a lack of inspiration and money prevented anything creative... until now! Check it out:

I bought three pashminas at $5 each on the street (the ubiquitous street cart of scarves, gloves, and knock-off handbags), hung them, and gathered them to create the pattern. I think it gives my hallway the feel of an old theater house or a luxurious hotel (sorta).

To tie them, I carefully cut off one piece of the fringe and used that so that the color would match perfectly and the string disappears against the rest of the fabric.

Of course, any fabric would work, but I love these pashminas because they are so convenient (I nearly trip over several of these carts on my way home from the subway every day), a good size, cheap, drape beautifully, and come in every color imaginable so they can match any decor. Plus, the fringe gives a nice accent to the top and bottom.

So, I decorated an entire wall for $15! I love the look, and it only took me a few minutes to put together.

P.S. You may be wondering how this is eco-friendly...well, I suppose I'm supporting local businessmen by buying off the street, right? Help the little guy...lets ignore the fact that these were probably made in China.

DIY Recycled Holiday Wreath

Craft alert!
I like to make easy, pretty things...and when those pretty things come from used, recycled things, even better! I found a great example of pom-poms/flowers made from plastic grocery bags (no matter how diligent I am at shopping with my canvas totes, they always sneak up on me anyway).
I made a few myself, and found them to be easy, quick, and really cute:

The blog uses them as gift toppers, which I think I will use this year, but I had a different idea:

I made this wreath from braided newspaper, made a bow from a grocery bag, and attached 5 grocery bag flowers (directions below). 100% recycled, no-impact, and a great holiday decoration that won't wilt or dry up! I'm thinking about adding origami cranes made from junk mail...what do you think?

To make this wreath:
1. take several sheets of newspaper and roll them into long, crumpled tubes. I used 6 pages for this wreath, but more sheets will make a larger diameter wreath.
2. With three of the tubes, start braiding them (don't worry about making it too tight). Once you get close to the end of a tube, overlap a new tube with it and keep braiding. Repeat until the braid is as long as you want it.
3. Form into a circle and secure using a leftover grocery bag handle from the flowers.
4. Attach as many bag flowers as you want by threading the handles of the bag through the braid and knotting at the back.
5. The bow is made from a plastic bag using the same technique as the flowers, but stopping before cutting apart the loops.

Enjoy!

Seedling in the blogosphere

What is an eco-friendly, animal-loving, Pacific Northwest born-and-raised girl doing in the biggest concrete jungle in the world? Why would anyone come to New York City to get a degree in Environmental Biology? And how would she keep her sanity with the nearest trees in sidewalk planters and the nearest wildlife crawling around her baseboards?

Good questions, though I'm not sure I have complete answers. I find myself with a love of the craziness and bustle and crowds in Manhattan to go along with my love of nature, animals, and sustainability.

This is my way to share with you the little ideas, tricks, and projects that make me feel, at least, as though I'm doing my part for the planet - as well as the occasional "just cool thing".
Hope you like it!