Eco gift ideas « itty bitty greenie

Posts Tagged ‘Eco gift ideas’

5 steps to a Greener Christmas

For the past few years we’ve been trying to make our holidays a little more “green”. Here are some of the things we are doing in our family – and I hope you’ll share with us your tips for an eco Christmas too.

1) SEND ELECTRONIC CARDS INSTEAD OF PAPER: I started doing this a few years ago when I discovered Paperless Post. You can customize amazing designs with everything from family portraits to personalized verses and fonts. It proves you don’t have to compromise on sending lovely greetings by going online. Plus you save the carbon footprint of mailing paper cards.

2) THINK OUTSIDE THE TREE: Perhaps it’s the tree hugger in me, but the thought of chopping one down so it can stand in the corner of my living room for a few weeks drying out, seems wasteful. And don’t get me started on the artificial ones… There are so many interesting options that can be just as much fun for the family to decorate. I love this collection of found sticks (pictured right). It’s beautiful, unique, and something fun and memorable for the children to create. Think of the possibilities when every year they can come up with a new tree.

3) GET CREATIVE WITH WRAPPING: Use Santa sacs or recycled paper. Up-cycle greeting cards to use as gift tags. Use your children’s artwork as gift wrap. The more personal your wrapping, the more memorable the gift.

4) CONNECT WITH NATURE: In our family we have a tradition of a pre-Christmas picnic, where we can enjoy time outside together in a peaceful setting before the inevitable madness and overindulgence of Christmas Day. We also like to plant something as a way of giving back to the earth, and to help foster values of sustainability with the kids.

5) BUY LESS STUFF: To me, the best gifts are ones that are either hand-made or that offer an “experience” instead of a thing. Tickets to a show, a spa voucher or a special hand-made item can create a beautiful memory, and to me that’s more valuable than something that is mass produced. For those on your list that have everything, think of alternatives, like Oxfam’s unwrapped gifts that help fight poverty worldwide.

SHARE AND WIN: Tell us in the comments below how you and your family try to celebrate a greener Christmas and you can WIN A $100 GIFT VOUCHER and a copy of our eco book “Santa Claus is Green” which includes fun tips and ideas on how kids and families can celebrate a merry green holiday, and over 20 stickers.

*entrants must be a resident of Australia. Winner will be announced and contacted via email on Dec. 15

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

6 December 2012 |

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Living in a dirtgirlworld

“Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.”
— Native American proverb

On World Environment Day (June 5) this year, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by encouraging kids to get grubby with our favourite mini environmentalist — Dirt Girl.

One of the best ways to help your child connect with their natural environment is to spend time outside, do some growing in the garden and, even better, get them to keep a scrapbook of their adventures.

The new dirtgirlworld scrapbook can become a daily diary, a garden journal, a recipe book, an art pad or a field guide — in fact, anything kids would like. There’s also an expansion pack, with planting guides, weather stickers and more great ideas for keeping the journal.

I love that this is an item that your child can use and expand over time to express themselves and record their own experiences in their natural environment — and hopefully to foster an appreciation for the great outdoors as well. I also love that it’s printed in Australia on 100% recycled paper.

To celebrate the release of the dirtgirlworld scrapbook and World Environment Day, there are some wonderful eco carnivales happening throughout Australia. Visit www.dirtgirlworld.com/worldenvironmentday for more information and for a chance to win some amazing prizes too, including a Plan Toys Eco Charging Station from Itty Bitty Greenie!

The dirtgirlworld scrapbook and expansion pack are available at Itty Bitty Greenie.

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

1 June 2012 |

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Makedo your own toy masterpiece this Christmas

For many of us with children, there’s a familiar scene on Christmas morning after all the presents have been opened and the kids are happily playing with their new treasures: a mass of packaging carnage littered across the lounge room floor. And while it used to be that this “waste” was discarded or recycled and forgotten, there’s a better way to engage kids in the process, and even get them making their own new toys and Christmas masterpieces by upcycling.

Makedo is a connector system that enables everyday materials including cardboard, plastic and fabric to easily join together to form new objects or structures. It has been hailed as the “Lego of the next generation” by media around the world, and has won some very impressive toy and design awards. But did you know that it was conceived by a Melbourne-based company?

I love the brand because not only does it inspire children to use their creativity and change their perspective on what might otherwise be thought of as rubbish, it also has no boundaries, it celebrates sustainability and aims to foster social change and sharing.

The makedo system started with the Freeplay Kit that includes their clever “re-clips” (reusable nylon connectors), “lock hinges” for creating corners, and “safe saw” for cutting cardboard or plastic as needed. It is all available from their Makedo online store – check out their starter toolkit pack and extra packs of scru’s and let your imagination and your boxes take you anywhere you want to go!

Best of all, the parts are reusable, and the possibilities are endless. The makedo website has instructional videos, teacher resources and a photo gallery where you can upload your own creations and connect with others. There is also an Makeree Makedo app available too.

Discover the makedo range this Christmas and share your creations with us too – we’d love to see them!

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

6 December 2011 |

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Gifts that keep on giving…

I don’t do it often, but I’ll admit, I love getting crafty – especially at Christmas time. And I’m always looking for nifty new ways to recycle all those beautiful holiday cards that come in the mail. I’m always looking for nifty new ways to recycle everything, actually!

But after spending all that time in planes, trains and automobiles to get to my snail-mail letterbox laden with a heavy carbon footprint, it seems a total shame not to recycle these lovely little treasures and heartfelt notes from friends and family into something beautiful to keep.

Here are a few favourite ideas I found recently, that I can’t wait to try.

Recycled ornament balls: This one is courtesy of Martha Stewart, and to be honest, I love her team’s ideas, but rarely give them a go because they just seem too fiddly and tedious. But these ornaments are really beautiful, and hey, I can cut and glue stuff… Actually speaking of cutting and gluing – I also found this idea for creating your own gift tags out of recycled cards courtesy of Martha. Easy peasy!

Recycled Christmas trees: This project seems a bit easier – and I love the layered, wobbly look of these trees. Kids will love them too.

Holiday greetings are not the only things that make great recycled Christmas decorations. Check out these other lovely seasonal ideas:

Cute Christmas trees made from recycled wine corks: Hmmm… how many bottles of wine do you think it will take to make one of these…?

Fuzzy trees made from recycled wool jumpers: These are beautiful, (almost huggable!) and such a great way to recycle all those old sweaters no one wants to wear.

And look at these lovely wreath ideas – all made from recycled materials. I love the one made with recycled gift cards cut in the shape of holly leaves. It would make a beautiful gift. There’s also the wine cork wreath. But for me the ultimate in eco-chic has to be the wreath made from recycled plastic bags – who knew those nasty things could actually look so pretty?

Time to get into my Christmas workshop to start making… happy holidays everyone!

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

14 November 2011 |

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Gifts for the Itty Bitty MasterChef

Whether they’re practising their cooking skills in their cubby house, or simply copying what mummy or daddy does in the kitchen, these toys are great for encouraging imaginative play, role playing and language development, and are perfect gifts for your little MasterChef-in-training!

1) Organic Cotton Kids’ Aprons in gorgeous Scandinavian-designed fabrics (RRP $34.95) (no longer available)

2) Orchard Toys Lunch Box Game, made from recycled cardboard (RRP $29.95)

3) In The Garden Book, made from recycled paper and printed with soy inks (RRP $14.95)

4) Green Toys 17-piece Tea Set, made from recycled plastic (RRP $59.95)

5) Fruit and Vegetable Play Set, made from sustainable and eco-friendly rubber wood (RRP $37.95)

6) Green Toys Chef Set, made from recycled plastic milk bottles ( RRP $36.95)

7) Food and Beverage Play Set, made from eco-friendly wood – perfect for the cubby house (RRP $39.95)

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

13 December 2010 |

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Gifts for the Itty Bitty Rockstar

Welcome to December and the start of the silly season! I know how challenging it can be to find that perfect Christmas gift for those little people in our lives who have big personalities – especially when there’s so much to choose from.

So over the next few weeks, I’ll share some of my favourite eco-fabulous finds from Itty Bitty Greenie that are sure to suit all the littlies in your life – from the Itty Bitty Rockstar to the Itty Bitty Eco Warrior and the Itty Bittiest Newborns too.

First up, let’s shine a spotlight on some gift ideas for those about to rock…

1) Organic Cotton “Rock Guitars” T-shirt (RRP $34.95)

2) The Beatles “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” Organic Cotton T-shirt with Swarovski “diamonds” (RRP $34.95)

3) Eco Stars Recycled Crayons (RRP $19.95)

4) Plan Toys Xylophone (RRP $34.95)

5) The Beatles “Pop” Organic Cotton T-shirt (RRP $34.95)

6) Groovy Interlocking Plate & Bowl Set in Orange from Boon Inc. (RRP $24.95)

7) Wooden Baby Maraca in Red & White (RRP $9.95)

8) Modware Toddler Utensils in Blue – BPA-free, Phthalate free and PVC-free (RRP $12.95)

9) SnackTAXI Groovy Guitars Reusable Food Wraps. Snack Sack (RRP $10.50) and Sandwich Sack (RRP $12.50)

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management