DIY Eco-Gift For The X-traordinary Techie On Your Holiday List

Do you have a techie on your list that goes to extraordinary measures to repurpose electronic items that would otherwise be relegated to the landfill? I bet that person has a bunch of dead computers lying around (doesn't everyone). When a dead computer gets thrown away, it does not biodegrade. It just lives in its toxic hole and continues to die a slow death - Yikes!

Computers can be reincarnated, and 62 Projects To Make With A Dead Computer (and Other Discarded Electronics), by Randy Sarafan will have your techie turning dead computers, printers, cell phones, iPods and keyboards from trash into treasure. They'll even learn how to make an iMac terrarium, a laptop digital photo frame, a mouse pencil sharpener, and a slew of amazing new creations.

Who knew?

Photo credit: Amazon (...but buy it locally if you can)

DIY Eco-Gift Guide For The Unexpected House Guest - (Not) On Your Holiday List

Right about now (a few days before Christmas), everything is amped up - the gifts, the grub and the guests! We can plan and prepare, but who can prepare for the unexpected house guest?

They say the best gifts are unexpected. They (whoever "they" are) also say, house guests are like fish, they both begin to smell after a while.

I really love entertaining house guests, even the unexpected kind (who smell lovely). But unexpected house guests remind me of upside down cakes. These cakes push the boundaries of cooking – are they bottomless or topless delectables? Where does it begin and end? Anyway, the same can be true for house guests – What are the boundaries?

The first question I ask is, "How long do you plan on visiting?" Once we've got that set, we're pretty much good to go. I like to make a few easy gifts and store them away, just in case…

DIY Water Carafe This is a quiet little gift (of the upside down kind) that sends a loud message to your guests that plastic water bottles don't belong in your home.

What you need: A few glasses or a bottle and a glass - one tall and narrow, and one short and wider (like the ones in the image above).

What to do: 1. Place a tall narrow glass bottle next to the bed. 2. Cover the tall glass with a shorter and wider one. 3. You can put a recycled sleeve cup cozy onto the glass to add a touch of warmth to the gift.

Photos: Remodelista, Noel Hendrickson/Getty Images from Planet Green

DIY Eco-Gifts For The Skier/Snowboarder On your Holiday List

Around here, "'Tis the season" also means, it's time to hit the slopes. We just love winter sports and we all ski and snowboard. What we don't love is the pricey equipment, and an industry that generally gets a thumbs down for eco-friendliness.

Ski, snowboard and skateboarding paraphernalia tends to be highly technical, but damaged skis, snowboards and skateboards make great materials for DIY projects.

When my son was a teenager, skateboards ruled. We created this skateboard bench from a skateboard that he didn't want to toss. The board had seen a fine street life, but it was ready for retirement. With a few screws and four hairpin legs, we upcycled the skateboard into a bench. This is a picture of the underside of the bench (Jimi Hendrix always rules).

Green Mountain Ski Furniture recycles old skis and snowboards into ski furniture in the same manner we did with the skateboard. They provide DIY kits to make chairs, benches, tables, and racks from your old discarded skis or snowboards.

Note about the main image: That is me skiing at Whistler. I have no idea how I made it down that mountain. I went around the turn and I was petrified - it was so steep. Photo: Recycled Skis