Photo courtesy of Food Mayhem
Fresh herbs like basil never fail to get us in the mood for Spring! Next time you’re cooking, use one of these craft punches (find that at most art supply stores) to create festive bits of flavor to garnish your dish! The large, flat surface of basil is perfect for this task, and these four-leaf clovers are totally appropriate for the month of March!
photo and instructions courtesy of Design*Sponge
Want to impress your date with a twist of the wrist? Save the tops of your champagne bottles for this party-trick that turns them into a mini bistro chair! Little crafts like this that both recycle your garbage and are easy enough to drink even after a bottle of champagne are the best!
check out the website for step-by-step pictures!
Keep your feet and toes toasty this winter with this project that reuses old wool sweaters! If you’re retiring some of your old wardrobe for the new year, think twice before you toss those wool pieces in the trash! These homemade slippers are just challenging enough for the novice craftster, and all the materials can probably be found in your house. So heat up a warm drink, find your favorite chair, and you’ll have an adorable new pair of footwear in no time!
Photo and directions courtesy of Homemade Simple
Felt the Wool: Put your 100% wool sweater, blanket, or coat in the washing machine and wash it with a little bit of soap on the longest, hottest wash cycle. Then dry on high heat for as long as possible, but don’t forget to clean your lint filter several times throughout this step
Cut Patterns: Using this pattern, trace the outer edges of each of your feet, twice for each foot, on the felt. Cut out with scissors. These are the “soles” of your slippers, so leave a little bit of room on the outside edge to allow for seams. Cut two of these same-sized pieces from the batting. Then cut two “over-the-toe” pieces and two “strap” pieces.
So Sole-ful: Place one of the soles right side up on a flat surface. Top this piece with another sole lying right side down, and top this with a piece of batting. Using a needle and embroidery thread, whipstitch these three pieces together, or, if you feel like a tighter stitch, use a sewing machine. Leave space near the toe open, with enough room to turn the entire piece right side out. Once the right sides are facing out and the batting in is the middle, use a pen or pencil to shape the batting into place. You won’t have to close the top, since you will do that when you attach the top piece to the sole. Repeat for the other foot.
Top It Off: Fold the right foot over-the-toe piece in half, right sides touching, so the piece looks like a candy cane. Pin together at the toe and heel, and sew the heel edges together with a gradual curved line. This will start the heel.
Next, pin the hooked edge of the “candy cane” to the center of the right foot sole at the toe (the hook should be facing in toward the slipper). Flip the over-the-toe piece inside out, and pin the heel of this piece at the corners at the sole. This shapes the heel of the slipper.
Tip: To add some decorative reinforcement to the heel of the slipper, cut off the ribbed cuffs of your sweater, trim to fit around the heel and stitch on.
Using a tight whipstitch, sew together the touching edges of the top piece and the sole. Repeat this process for the left foot pieces.
Attach the straps across the tops of the two slippers with hook and loop tape and garnish with a button or two.
Photo courtesy of Glenn List
More than half of people receive what they consider bad holiday gifts and almost one-third know someone who consistently gives poor or even insulting ones!
Now that it’s 2010 and you’ve had a few weeks to take inventory of all your gifts, it’s time to consider what to do with them! Did you get exactly what was on your wish list, and then some? Did you get some from people who apparently don’t know you at all? The same ol’ fruitcake or flannel shirt? No problem! Here are some eco-friendly, helpful and affordable ways to use your gifts:
Return it. If you have a receipt or know the store, return it for cash or store credit. The only drawback to this classic solution is that about 17% of retailers have tightened their holiday policies this year, largely because of return fraud, according to the National Retail Federation.
Sell it. If you can’t return the gift but want cash, try selling it on eBay, Craigslist or even a yard sale.
Donate it. Cart your gift along with other items that are just cluttering to your home to the nearest charity shop and take the tax credit. You can also donate them to a silent auction or a senior center as Bingo prizes.
Swap it. Throw a post-holiday soiree and swap the bad gifts to people who will appreciate them. To keep duds out of landfills, BBMG, an eco-minded marketing company, has launched The Save the White Elephant campaign.
Regifting. As long as you’re careful not to give the gift back to the giver, or someone he or she knows well, regifting has become more and more socially acceptable. The safest candidates are generic items like wine, unopened chocolates, candles and, even better, unused gift cards. We don’t suggest sending a weird or tacky gift to someone unless you think they might actually like it.
Recycling. www.freecycle.com allows people to post and receive free stuff. No takers? Check with your local recycler to see if they’ll accept the gift.
Photo courtesy of Advocacy
Lots of us have taken steps to reduce our impact on the earth, and if not, we know just the New Year’s resolution for you! It’s time to celebrate a new beginning, and is you’re throwing a party, why not start acting early by making it a green one!
Find alternative for paper. Before the party, ditch paper invitations and send out evites, while encouraging friends to carpool or use public transportation. Using glasses instead of plastic cups for drinks cuts down on trash while saving money and resources. If you don’t own enough glassware for all of your guests, see if you can borrow some from neighbors or friends. You could also check out biodegradable utensils and flatware from sites such as Freecycle and WorldCentric.
Use homemade decorations. Make your own confetti out of scrap paper, newspaper, and holiday gift wrap, or use empty wine or champagne bottles as candlestick holders or vases. Check out the DIY crafts we’ve posted on this blog, or a simple online search will provide you with hundred of creative ideas!
Choose tasty, healthy foods with smaller carbon footprint. For appetizers, try your hand at making homemade salsa or hummus or veggie or goat cheese dip. Focus on fresh, organic fruits and vegetables from local sources.
Offer organic wines and champagnes. Just like produce, organic wines and champagnes bear the USDA organic seal, and are made from grapes that are not grown with pesticides or preserved with sulfites. The Daily Green has a list of organic sparklers and champagnes on their site here, and a new organic boxed wine here. Don’t forget to recycle empty bottles when you’re done!
After throwing your environmentally responsible New Year’s party, give yourself a pat on the back – we’re sure your friends also will! Now that you’ve started on the right foot, resolve to keep it up for years to come!
Whether you’re decorating for a New Year’s bash or whipping together some gifts to bring to a party, these silver champagne cozies will be welcome at every dining table! They look glamorous and help you avoid drips and slips until you’re ready to pop the cork at midnight! They remind us of wine bottles wrapped in simple napkins at fine restaurants, with a bit more pizzazz. Photo and instructions courtesy of BHG
Photo courtesy of Eat Me Daily
Hotchocspoons from the Chocolate Company in Europe have come up with a brilliant gift idea to get your hot chocolate fix, stat! These wooden spoons hold 50 grams of solidified chocolate that just needs to be submerged and stirred in hot liquid. They come in over 50 varieties, including ones that include a shot whisky or amaretto, strawberry and pink peppercorn, a white chocolate, and even a seaweed flavor for the adventurous!
Fans of Elfster on Facebook will stay up to date with the latest news and keep in touch with other fans!
Also, did you know that a simple application on Facebook will let you plan everything you need for your Secret Santa, without leaving your social network? Most of us who use Facebook are already connected with our closest family and friends this way, so it’s only logical that we make this feature possible with just a few clicks!
From your exchange page, click “invite your Facebook friends” to open a form that lets you either post the invite to your wall for all your friends to see or you can click “send as message” on the lower left of the form to send the sign up link to just a few select folks.
These beautiful square wreaths add just a bit more spunk and personality to your door! They also offer traditional shapes, but the simplicity and surprise of these balance each other perfectly, and ring in the season with a twist! Image courtesy of Gardens Austin
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Traditional mistletoe is such a hassle, and can’t follow you around wherever you mingle, like this adorable hair clip! You’ll always be standing under the mistletoe with this 12-karat gold plated pin, exclusively from Kate Spade! Image courtesy of Kate Spade
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Who knew hanging plants from a tree would be so cute! These little bottles hold a bit of moss and a sprig of conifer and a few drops of spruce essential oil. You could use them to decorate your tree, or any other part of the house for an extra festive scent. Check out all the variations on the Etsy site! Image courtesy of Etsy
Before there was Elfster, there were awful gifts… Cow mugs, bath salts, you name it! Now we’re asking you: What is the WORST Secret Santa gift you’ve ever received? Feel free to share your answer in the comments section below or on Twitter by adding @elfster to your tweet!
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