Sustainable & Creative Living
Father’s Day is just around the corner and if you’re looking for some last minute gifts, check out my list of 26 Last Minute Father’s Day Gifts.
With all the men in our lives—husbands, dads, grandpas, brothers, there’s a lot of gift giving to keep up with. Every birthday, Christmas, anniversary, and Father’s Day gets harder and harder to [Read more…]
If you follow us on social media, then you know I’m a little obsessed with The Shop Forward. They’re a clothing and accessories website that combines great fashion items and philanthropy. Since launching in 2014, they have raised over $2,500,000 for charities all over the world. A donation is built into the price of every product so when you purchase items from The Shop Forward you’re helping to pay it forward to various charities and causes while also [Read more…]
I’m always amazed when I hear about the impractical, silly, or downright thoughtless gifts some of my friends have received. I’m talking about the same restaurant gift card 5 years in a row for people who rarely eat out. Or beautiful pierced earrings for a woman without pierced ears. Or the loud musical instrument for a child whose parents clearly disapproved of the “gift”! Those are the kind of gifts that leave a person wondering “What were they (the gift giver) thinking?” The thing is, they probably weren’t thinking. It doesn’t mean they’re a bad person, they probably just haven’t practiced how to be a thoughtful gift giver. And who’s gonna tell them they’re gifts are [Read more…]
Christmas is just around the corner! Yay!! I just started my shopping the other day at T.J. Maxx and as I bent over the jewelry counter to look at some earrings, I said to myself, “ NOOOO…do not buy any of the girls another pair of earrings! They don’t need them!!” (Of course, I considered getting them for myself, but that’s another subject). I got to thinking about what gifts I could get the special people in my life in the way of experiences instead of [Read more…]
Valentine’s Day is traditionally known as a holiday for couples in love. But it doesn’t have to be. Expensive gifts, fancy clothes, and high dollar wine don’t have to be all that Valentine’s Day is about.
I still remember getting Valentine’s Day gifts as a kid from my mom and dad. Usually, they were small boxes of chocolate and sometimes even money, but it felt like the best thing in the world.
Fast forward to life as an adult—we are conditioned to think Valentine’s Day is more about the stuff. Especially when you’re in a relationship. [Read more…]
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.
The holidays can be a crazy time of year. There’s so much going on – decorating, holiday parties, buying gifts, trying not to buy gifts for ourselves… it’s just a lot all at once. But it’s important to remember the bigger picture this holiday season. We are always trying to be our best selves especially with our sustainability practices and that shouldn’t take a back seat during the holidays.
So I have compiled a short list, that doesn’t end here, of eco-friendly brands and potential gifts for this holiday season!
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 may have mentioned it once or twice that I’m getting married soon but I want to take you back to the beginning – to engagement rings!
I’ve always felt like the idea of spending an exorbitant amount of money on an engagement ring was kind of silly. I knew I didn’t want something that cost more than my rent on my finger – nor do I need that. You should do what’s financially comfortable for you and your significant other, as well as what fits your personal style. Just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean you have to fit any certain mold.