Sustainable & Creative Living
It’s been almost a month since my husband and I started our van life adventure. It’s definitely been a whirlwind of change. Our whole world has been turned upside down and all the comforts of home have just been completely changed. We now find comfort in simpler things. Like a quiet place to sleep or a private place to shower.
Spend Valentine’s Day (or any gift-giving holiday) with the one you love waste-free!
Here are 5 zero-waste gifts that still express love and thoughtfulness as well as care for the environment. Your gift doesn’t have to be an eco-friendly “thing.” It can be a digital gift or even the gift of your time and attention (those are my favorite).
Like I said, time and attention are so valuable, especially in the age of smartphones. So plan something fun to do – go on a hike, go bowling, go on a bike ride with a picnic!
As long as it’s not a traffic citation kind of ticket, most people love tickets. Get tickets for a play, a movie, a concert, or a sporting event!
There are so many great classes you can take online. You both can learn something together or choose something just for your person. Maybe they’ve always wanted to take a photography class? This way it can be done from the comfort of home and without waste!
Audible is amazing because you can listen to thousands of books! This is a great gift because if your person loves books they can listen in their free time or you can listen to books together!
Related: Eco-Friendly Gifts
Most people already have access to a streaming service, but it never hurts to buy one for a period of time as a gift. Whether it’s Netflix, Hulu or something like HBO. There are so many different ones these days that you can access from anywhere. This way you both can enjoy binging movies and TV shows together or apart!
Related: 5 Digital Gift Cards
These gifts also make great last minute gifts for Valentine’s Day or whichever gift-giving holiday is upon you!
Related: 6 Eco-Friendly Holiday Gift Wrapping Tips
Do you have any other zero-waste eco-friendly gifts you like to give? Let me know in the comments below.
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Every year I try to incorporate as many eco-friendly practices as I can into my gift wrapping routine. This time of year is already a stressful time but that doesn’t mean we put our eco-friendly practices on hold. It just means that we get a little more creative with our holiday wrapping.
This year Christmas kind of snuck up on me. If you haven’t been following our social media, you may have missed that I just got married. For the past year, wedding planning has just consumed my life. Now I’m finally ready to get into the Christmas spirit, and I wanted to do something a little different this year.
Instead of buying more (expensive) wrapping paper from all over, I wanted to make my own. And what better way than to use some materials I already have at home. First of all, a roll of kraft paper from the Dollar Tree or Walmart is perfect and will go a long way! It’s so much cheaper than a roll of traditional wrapping paper that won’t last the season. Secondly, it’s just a little more heartfelt to make your own paper. You can do all kinds of variations of this design but I thought Christmas trees were a good place to start.
One of my favorite things about the holidays are the smells! I love everything from the cinnamon scented pinecones to the all the smells of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.
So this year I wanted to make something that encompasses some of my favorite smells of the holidays as well as a nice hostess gift for one of the many holiday parties this season.
I know the first day of Fall isn’t until September 22nd, but by Starbucks’ calendar, it’s officially pumpkin spice season so I’m in full swing. While everyone in Florida courageously awaited the arrival of Hurricane Irma this first weekend in September, my son and I walked the bare isles of Target trying to keep our minds off what was coming. When we came upon the dollar spot (a.k.a. Bullseye’s Playground), one of our favorite sections to browse, I immediately took notice of [Read more…]
After a long and treacherous winter (just kidding), Spring is finally here and that means it’s time to start planting flowers and veggies, cleaning the house, and decorating for the new season. Which means my weekends are filled with [Read more…]
Spring is here and Easter is just around the corner. That means it’s not only time to break out the Claritin, but also get out your plastic eggs and ceramic bunnies. Pastel is in full bloom and I love it!
I always look forward to decorating my house for every holiday, but Easter is one of my favorite. I love the soft undertones that Easter colors bring, the look of shabby-chic fabric bunnies, and warmth of Spring in the air. Decorating my large dining room table is my most favorite. It’s one of the focal points when you walk into my home and though it doesn’t get much use on a daily basis, I know it gets its much-needed attention during the holidays. So, it’s gotta be all dressed to impress! If you’re looking for a Pottery Barn “esk” table centerpiece, but not looking to spend the Pottery Barn bucks, [Read more…]
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, many of us will be looking for special treats and gifts for our sweeties! Of course, there will be all kinds of candy to choose from but I have a feeling that, like me and my family, many of you may still be suffering from Christmas candy overload. A good way to avoid candy overload at Valentine’s Day but still enjoy a delicious treat, is to make Chocolate Coconut Covered Strawberries.
Not only are Chocolate Coconut Covered Strawberries tasty, but with my recipe, they’re guilt-free and healthy. Chocolate Coconut Covered Strawberries are also extremely simple to make. Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t do complicated when it comes to cooking. I do, however, do delicious—and that’s what these are!
If you’re like me and you and your other half have spent many Christmas’ together, then you already know how hair-pullingly difficult it becomes to find gifts that won’t end up in the bottom of some drawer or at the back of the closet. When I buy gifts for my husband and all the special people in my life, I want to find something that is useful to them or something I might have heard them mention in a previous conversation. I want my gift to be meaningful. Therefore, I keep a password protected [Read more…]