On How About Orange you can find nice manual how to make your own bows for original wrapping. For it you can use old magazines or even unnecessary maps. 

This year we want to realize a small garden in our yard balcony! In winter, it’s the perfect time to think about it, and also to think about the pots! As you may know, we want to reuse something useless to plant the seeds in it. Here there are some good, fun and lovely ideas to change old items into new pots for plants!

Here are some examples of what you can reuse :

Almond milk is a creamy and delicious alternative to normal milk! Almonds contain calcium as well as essential fatty acids that help regulate metabolism. You can find it in the store or try this tasty recipe below.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds
4 1/2 cups filtered water
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Soak almonds in water for at least six hours.
2. Drain soaked almonds & blend w/ 4 cups of fresh water until you get a milk-like consistency.
3. Blend with dates (that have been soaked for at least an hour or honey) optional*
4. Strain once to remove almond granules.

The result is delicious, creamy milk that’s free of added oils, concentrated sugars, and synthetic nutrients. This all-natural almond milk keeps for four to five days in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator.

Source: http://blog.nutritiongal.com/2011/06/04/almond-milk-recipe/

It’s economical – you don’t pay for someone else to do something that you can do it yourselves.

It’s safer – when you cook, you have more control over what goes into your body. By buying organic, sustainable raised or minimally treated meat, dairy and produce, you can dramatically reduce your consumption of food contaminated by chemical fertilizers, hormones, or antibiotics.

It’s healthier - you have control over the nutritional value of the foods you prepare. Cooking methods also count. For example, roasting a vegetable will preserve vitamins that are wasted by boiling it

It tastes better – we’ve forgotten how wonderfully delicious fresh food tastes as we’ve become acclimated to food that’s polluted with preservatives.

It tastes like you want it to - you can customize the flavor to suit your own (or your family’s or friends’) preferences. You can also make more experiment with your tastes.

It’s satisfying - you’ll feel confident that by preparing healthy meals with local ingredients, you’re doing something good for yourself.

It will make reducing your meat consumption much easier – sometimes it is challenge to find appealing vegetarian choices at a restaurant or your supermarket, so learning to cook is the answer!

It’s a gift to future generations - kids love to “play” in the kitchen and there are dozens of ways they can be involved.

It will enrich your life - sharing a meal together with family or friends reinforces a precious bond.

It will make a statement - learning to cook sustainable is an opportunity to make it your own special way of furthering values you believe in.

So another holiday season has passed by - gifts given and unwrapped, food eaten and your tree has probably been taken down by now.

Hopefully you’ve had a reasonably green Xmas by crafting, upcycling or regifting your presents and then following our tips on alternative present wrapping. But what to do with your leftover greetings cards, wrapping paper and, if you had a real one, Christmas tree?

Greetings Cards

Don’t just throw them out! As long as you have somewhere to store them, there are loads of ways to re-use them throughout the year and during the next holiday season. Why not spend the dark and dreary January and February evenings making them into postcards, gifts tags, gift bags and decorations for next year?

Easiest of all - cut off the front part of the card (the part with the pretty picture on it) and use the other side as a postcard to write your holiday message on next year.

Gift tags are also super easy, all you need is an old card with a nice design and some ribbon, thread or string. Cutting the edges with shearing scissors or into interesting shapes also looks great. Then punch a hole and put the ribbon through. Voila!

Left over cards can also be made into decorations like garlands, baubles or this awesome wreath.

Anything else left over can normally be recycled like normal paper, or even put into your compost bin. And don’t forget to keep the envelopes to re-use throughout the year or as scrap paper.

Wrapping paper

Wrapping paper is harder to recycle in your normal recycling bin as it’s often shiny, glittery or made of plastic, so check before you throw it out.

The best thing to do, if it’s still in one or two pieces is keep it and use it to wrap a present for someone else next year. However, if it’s completely fallen to pieces shredding it and using it as stuffing for packages or furniture bags. Or why not use scraps to make paper beads or bowls.

Christmas trees

Ideally you had an articifcial, recycled or potted Christmas tree which is now safely stored back up in the loft or replanted in your garden. But if not, what should you do with the, now probably pretty dead-looking, fir tree that’s been in your house for the last couple of weeks?

Most cities have a facility where you can take your tree to be recycled which is then normally turned into mulch for local parks and woodland, or sometimes you can even take it home for your own garden. Ask your local authorities about the services in your area.

If you compost at home, fir trees can be chopped up or shredded and added to your compost bin - just make sure you take all of the decorations and lights off first.

Or if you have a garden, why not use your tree as a new habitat for birds? You’ll need to support the tree with stakes or a stand, or stand it against a garage or shed. Adding a pine cone bird feeder will really attract those song birds.

If you’re unlucky enough to not have any local recycling facilities or a garden for your tree, you could always donate it to a farm or chop it up to use as firewood.

Whatever you do with it, chucking it out onto the street with the rest of your trash is the worst option imagineable.

One of the biggest sources of waste each Christmas is wrapping paper. So is it really necessary to buy for it new paper when there are more alternatives?  

You can create attractive gift wrap yourself by reusing paper, magazines, old calendars, maps, posters or fabric. You can also reused old wrapping paper. If you prefer buying gift wrap, look for recycled content gift wrap paper.  

Here is tip for fabric gift bags:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDPZikZoXys

More info about green packing: http://eartheasy.com/gift_wrapping.htm