"Green" Christmas present ideas - Page 2

[MacroMama]

For Christmas this year we'll be giving away reusable shopping bags filled with green cleaning products, bath products, etc in order to encourage DH's family to be green. Not sure how it's going to go over, but we'll see!

For my parents that are already green, we'll be giving them stainless steel bottles. LL Beans has some multicolored ones, but they're not cheap. Hopefully the quality is good though.

[fanniefarkle]

Originally Posted by MacroMama

For Christmas this year we'll be giving away reusable shopping bags filled with green cleaning products, bath products, etc

That's a great idea!

[catkendig]

Originally Posted by Melaine

I have seen those and was tempted but heard mixed reviews on quality. Definitely can't beat the price. Have you been pleased with the bottles? Are they easy to clean? One of the things I love about Klean Kanteens is the large mouth for ice and cleaning. Thanks for the suggestions!

I think the paint job on them is a bit weak but it could be the same on the ecousables, don't really know. The mouth on these is NOT as large as the KKs. Otherwise, they're just fine - but I'm not real picky. They're using 201 steel like most everyone else. Honestly, most of these bottles are coming from the same manufacturers overseas in bulk. They're just labeled and marketed differently. If you want 500 of them, you can buy them for a buck or two a bottle.

[Teenytoona]

Subbing!

[greencat]

re-usable grocery bag out of plastic bags

I am knitting re-usable grocery bags out plastic bags that we get at grocery stores. You can find instruction on how to cut and connect the plastic bag to make into a knitting ribbon on Youtube. It is more like weaving than knitting, but its fun. You can iron #2 plastic bags with wax paper to make a bag, but I don't like to smell the melting plastic.

I'm using #14 knitting needles to make the bag in a same shape/style of a common grocery bags. It takes about 40-50 bags to make one.

There are creative people out there that they are making rain coat out of these bags, too.

[homefrontgirl]

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[janasmama]

Last year I made a set of 4 napkins with a matching hand towel and tied them with nice ribbon. They came out really nice and everyone liked them a lot. I picked a neutral tone so they could be mixed and matched with other napkins they might already have.

We also got self-sealing jars and made a chocolate sauce. I like this idea better than fudge or candy b/c it seems like there is so much of that around at the season anyways that at least with something jarred it can be kept and used later rather than wasted. I can't give out my recipe for the chocolate sauce b/c it was given to me by a lady who makes it to sell it but a secret ingredient is a little bit of jack daniels.

[MacroMama]

Originally Posted by sidshappymamma

That's a great idea!

Thanks!

And I was thrilled when we went to Whole Foods today and found reusable lunch totes (made from plastic bottles) to use as the gift bags. Cute, small for our gifts, recycled and cheap at 79 cents!

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[2 in August]

This etsy seller has lots of cool stuff made out of plastic bags.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5107911

[KristyDi]

Originally Posted by tightwaderin

I just stumbled upon this thread from last year while looking for something else to use besides mineral oil on my cutting board. Lots of great ideas!

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=746569

What did you find for wood cutting boards? I've got a beautiful one that could use some love.

Originally Posted by GenB

I have made kaluha before and put it in wine or beer bottles and given it as gifts. My father in law LOVED this!! It is divine over icecream or as a white russian for dessert. There should be tons of recipes on the 'net.

I've also made homemade vanilla which is a GREAT gift because good quality vanilla is super expensive. DH and I use amber or green colored beer bottles - neat shaped ones if we can find them - and have fun collecting the bottles, too, cause we get to drink the beer!!

How did you close the bottles after filling them? Cork?

[Belleweather]

Originally Posted by catkendig

I think the paint job on them is a bit weak but it could be the same on the ecousables, don't really know. The mouth on these is NOT as large as the KKs. Otherwise, they're just fine - but I'm not real picky. They're using 201 steel like most everyone else. Honestly, most of these bottles are coming from the same manufacturers overseas in bulk. They're just labeled and marketed differently. If you want 500 of them, you can buy them for a buck or two a bottle.

Damn. That's a coop waiting to happen.

We bought three of the New Wave Enviroproducts bottles off Amazon and are very happy with them.

[SarahGuinn]

This year I planted way more tomatoes than we could eat to make everyone some salsa and some marinara. We're going to can them and wrap them in a cloth shopping bag that I need to get working on now, for shipping. That'll keep from having to use bubble wrap.