Category Archives:holidays

09
Dec

Homemade Food Gifts for the Holiday

cookiejar 002-001

vegan cookies-in-a-jar from Vegan Richa

There are so many reasons to choose homemade foods. Not only do homemade foods always taste better than their packaged, boxed and plastic-wrapped counterparts, homemade foods are infinitely more healthy. Processed foods are notoriously laden with sugar, salt, fats, oils, preservatives, chemicals and fillers. When you make your own goodies, you know where everything comes from, what the ingredients are, and you can infuse all your foods with love and positive energy.

One of the best ways to share homemade foods is to give food gifts for the holidays. I've already decided that my friends and family will be receiving either homemade granola, cookie mix or homemade sauerkraut for this year. Everyone is always asking after my recipes, so what better way to share my foods and hopefully inspire people to find their path to healthier living?! Here are some of the best ideas I found for homemade food gifts to share this holiday season (there are a few bonus homemade non-food items too!). What's your favorite homemade gift for the holiday?

Cookies in a Jar: Everyone loves cookies, but not everyone feels like they are qualified as bakers. Take the guesswork out of homemade cookies with cookie mixes in a jar. Choose your favorite cookie recipe, make a cute recipe card, and give away goodness! Here's a recipe and tutorial from Vegan Richa, one of my favorite vegan cooking blogs.

Homemade Granola: This is the homemade granola recipe that I will be sharing with my friends and family. It's so easy, wholesome and deliciously more flavorful than the stuff in boxes. Best of all, oats are pretty cheap, so this gift is a pretty affordable option for those of us on a tight holiday budget. Find unique jars at thrift stores to make it extra special, or use little fancy baggies with handwritten notes.

Homemade tea mixes: Show off your flair for spices and herbs with homemade tea gifts. Choose your favorite tea (red, green, black or white), mix in your favorite herbs (lavender, camomile, vanilla, spices) and place in a cute jar for months of happy holiday memories. Find small, cute jars lying around your kitchen or at the thrift store and get packing! Here's a cute tutorial for homemade chai tea from the Kitchn.

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homemade chai mix from the Kitchn

Homemade Whipped Body Butter: Give the gift of natural beauty! Homemade body butter is made with awesome ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil and more for a luxurious treat for someone special. Here's a Mint Chocolate Body Butter from Mommypotamus. Yums!

For the dog-lovers, Homemade Doggie Biscuits: Even our furry friends need good food! Treat the canine in your life to special treats with this great list of homemade dog treats from the Kitchn.

And of a whole mess of other great ideas, check out this great post from 100 Days of Real food for instructions for making homemade vanilla extract, homemade breads, and homemade spice mixes.

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love your doggies

 

 

Posted:   |   Categories: DIY beauty, gifts, holidays, homemade, Living
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27
Jun

July 4th Crafts to Reduce the Holiday Waste

craftRECYCLED logo

Independence Day is coming up next week here in the U.S. For a lot of us, that means backyard parties and all of the potential waste that comes with them.

From plastic utensils to single-use decorations, a July 4th shindig isn't always the best for the planet. You can cut back on a lot of waste just by changing how you set the table, like choosing proper dishes and utensils instead of single-use plastic and paper, but when it comes to decorations you might just want some themed decor.

That's where your crafty skills come in! We've rounded up some DIY projects that you can do this weekend to get your house Independence Day ready with none of the waste.

Lighting

Upcycled Wine Bottle Gas Lamp

Instead of Christmas lights or other electric lights, rustle up an empty blue glass bottle or two and create an upcycled gas lantern. For a little extra ambiance, make some votives for the table out of old candles from around the house.

Table Decor

sixpack caddy

If you're planning a 4th of July party, chances are you've picked up a six pack or two. Pull those bottles out and upcycle the cardboard caddy into a cute, thematic condiment holder. But you don't have to stop there! Instead of a crappy, disposable table cloth, whip up a simple table runner instead, using fabric from your stash. Just choose a few prints in patriotic colors, and you're ready to rock.

Hanging Decorations

upcycled bunting

Nothing says festive like some bunting! It's so much prettier than paper streamers, and you can use it year after year instead of tossing it at the end of the evening. Check out this upcycled bunting that you can make in 10 minutes!

Do you have any DIY plans for the 4th? I'd love to hear about what crafty things you guys have in the works!

Posted:   |   Categories: DIY, DIY party decorations, holiday decorations, holidays, Home+Decor, Independence Day, July 4th, July 4th crafts, Living, red white and blue, upcycled crafts, upcycling
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21
Apr

Earth Day: Challenge To Live A Mindful LIfe

k4k earth day header

Happy Earth Day CrispGreen Readers!!

This Earth-centric holiday has been around for 43 years, and we've come a long way since the very first Earth Day gathering. Now this day of environmental learning and action is celebrated in 192 countries around the world, inspiring millions to consider their impact on our world.

Like most things in this world, Earth Day has become highly commercialized. Every company and organization uses it as a way to promote their product line or agenda, while in reality their actions do harm to the planet they claim to care about. The true challenge of Earth Day is to live a mindful life every day of the year.

Sure, we could have posted a round-up of green gadgets or cool technologies that utilize clean energy, but this Earth Day, we decided to avoid consumption all together. We can't buy our way out of the mess our planet's in. Instead, let's reflect on how far we've come, and how far we have yet to go in our quest to leave this planet to our grand children in inhabitable shape.

Let's think about meaningful actions we can take to reduce waste and be an example of planetary stewards in our every day life. Let's be the change we want, instead of just talking about it. How did you celebrate Earth Day? Tell us in a comment.

Earth Day graphic produced by the Kars4Kids car donation program

Posted:   |   Categories: Activism, Gadgets, holidays, infographic, News, Pollution
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21
Apr

Earth Day: Challenge To Live A Mindful LIfe

k4k earth day header

Happy Earth Day CrispGreen Readers!!

This Earth-centric holiday has been around for 43 years, and we've come a long way since the very first Earth Day gathering. Now this day of environmental learning and action is celebrated in 192 countries around the world, inspiring millions to consider their impact on our world.

Like most things in this world, Earth Day has become highly commercialized. Every company and organization uses it as a way to promote their product line or agenda, while in reality their actions do harm to the planet they claim to care about. The true challenge of Earth Day is to live a mindful life every day of the year.

Sure, we could have posted a round-up of green gadgets or cool technologies that utilize clean energy, but this Earth Day, we decided to avoid consumption all together. We can't buy our way out of the mess our planet's in. Instead, let's reflect on how far we've come, and how far we have yet to go in our quest to leave this planet to our grand children in inhabitable shape.

Let's think about meaningful actions we can take to reduce waste and be an example of planetary stewards in our every day life. Let's be the change we want, instead of just talking about it. How did you celebrate Earth Day? Tell us in a comment.

Earth Day graphic produced by the Kars4Kids car donation program

Posted:   |   Categories: Earth Day, Gadgets, holidays, infographic, News, Pollution
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28
Dec

5 DIY Beauty Recipes to Treat Yourself

Home made sugar scrub

Indulge in a little self-care with these DIY beauty recipes!

Self care means taking the time to do for yourself. We get so swept up in obligations and our day-to-day routine that sometimes we sacrifice our own mental health to get things done. When we neglect ourselves, we can become irritable, exhausted, and even make ourselves sick. Self care doesn't have to take a lot of time. It's just about stepping away - even for just 15-20 minutes - and doing something nice for ourselves. It could be enjoying a cup of fancy coffee, listening to a favorite podcast, taking a walk, or indulging in a little DIY beauty.

No matter what holiday you celebrate, this time of year is incredibly stressful. Even if you don't observe any of the December holidays, chances are lots of folks in your office do, so your work days have been hectic from being short-handed all month. Whether your stress comes from getting gifts together and dealing with family or from fighting holiday traffic, we all need a little self-care this time of year.

Check out these five beauty recipes to pamper yourself!

1.    DIY Bath Bomb - A hot bath is a great way to sneak away for a short time and relax, and a bath bomb really ups the luxury!

2.    Homemade Sugar Scrub - Treat your dry, winter skin to a decadent scrub that will leave you smelling and feeling great.

homemade-face-scrub

3.    Simple Homemade Oatmeal Face Scrub - Relax with a soothing oatmeal scrub!

4.    DIY Face Scrubs For Any Skin Type - If all of that holiday stress is making you break out, try choosing one of these face scrubs according to your skin type.

5.    Mint Sugar DIY Lip Scrub - We sometimes neglect our lips in our beauty routines, but they need a little care, just like the rest of our bodies! Lip scrub to the rescue!

What do you do to care for yourself when you feel a little overwhelmed? Let's share more self-care tips in the comments! My favorite way to treat myself is a warm bath or a nice long walk with a comedy podcast. Take that, stress!

Posted:   |   Categories: DIY, DIY beauty, DIY beauty recipes, Health+Beauty, holiday stress, holidays, Living, self care, stress
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