Celebrate Green Blog

by Lynn What did gifts did you receive for Christmas or Hanukkah this year? Were they things you wanted? Needed? Like and will use? Or will they be re-gifted,  or worse, be dumped in the trash? Did they come wrapped in beautiful, but virgin paper? Embedded in clamshell plastic? Encased in bubble wrap? I’m happy [...]

by Lynn Every year I make at least one ornament for each of our grandchildren that I put at their places at the table Christmas eve as a small gift. This year’s for three of them will be made from tins that once held mints. Inside each I put a small creature, toy or piece [...]

by Lynn Recently when I was in Colorado visiting our new grandgirl, my daughter-in-law and I went to the Denver Botanic Gardens for a walk. While Sam was signing up for a membership (a great present for any occasion by the way), I wandered through the gift shop area and was delighted to see quite [...]

by Lynn   Etsy Rain is a collection of Western Washington area artists and crafters who own online Etsy shops where they sell their creations. I joined awhile back thinking that eventually I’ll have enough time to sign up and sell some of the things I make. That hasn’t happened yet, but I was excited [...]

by Lynn If you’ve got grandparents in your life, you know that the gift they love most is spending time with their grandkids. Next in line is most likely pictures of these same special children. Instead of buying frames and plopping in school pictures, why not spend a few minutes creating one-of-a-kind photo memories? In [...]

by Annette We invited Annette Frey,  founder and chief canine confectioner of Biscuits by Lambchop to do a round-up of picks for great eco-gifts for four-legged pets. (Note that as always, very few, if any items we can buy are 100% sustainable. You must make your own decision about how important each aspect of sustainability [...]

by Lynn If you use packaging tape, you may toss the cardboard cores into the recycling bin. Maybe you’ll stop doing that after you see how easy it is to make this cute gift that will cost you absolutely nothing. Teen girls are the perfect recipient for these bracelets although anyone who likes to live [...]

by Lynn Last week I noticed most websites and blogs already have started issuing their lists of what to buy for every member of the family from grandpop to new pup. Greenies are no exception. And while there are some things to purchase that we can’t replicate ourselves without a lot of time or talent, [...]

By Alicia Bravo When I was growing up, my mom always sent cards to people.  Sometimes a note of thanks, sometimes a little hello and sometimes just a note to say “I love you”. Sending cards, especially “thank you” cards, has become a lost art. I am amazed how many people do not take the [...]

by Lynn Hope you’re having a wonderful summer, we are! Working hard but leaving time for fun too. And one of my most enjoyable summer activities is checking out arts and crafts fairs. Some of my August favorites I spotted at the festivals and others, online, but all remind me of summer. 1. One of [...]

by Lynn Nature and its perfection inspire me every day. But I never long to paint a perfect image of what I see—a good thing since I‘m not a painter. I prefer to take whatever catches my eye and try to reproduce it in a way that works for the materials I have on hand, [...]

by Lynn Last summer, Corey and I enjoyed a delightful weekend at Purple Haze lavender farm in Sequim WA. Sequim, if not the lavender capital of the world, certainly is one of the top lavender growing areas in the U.S. Every year they host a festival which actually was started by Mike, our host at [...]

By Alicia Bravo I recently celebrated my eighth wedding anniversary. This last year has gone by so fast since we had our daughter Tallulah, who also just turned one. So many fun changes, a new baby, leaving my job after 4 ½ years to be a stay at home mom, both requiring smart financial choices. [...]

by Lynn If you, like me, are into reducing your personal waste, check out the straw situation. Some people use straws because drinking directly from a glass doesn’t work for them. Some because they don’t like to touch their lips to a cup or glass when eating away from home. And others, just because they [...]