DIY Eco-Gifts For The Quilter on Your Holiday List

A handmade quilt is a true luxury. Quilts made from pieced together scraps of fabric that otherwise may have been wasted, make quilters the ultimate green DIYers.

It is estimated that between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are discarded annually worldwide. That's more than a million per minute.

Why not give all the materials to create a DIY Eco-Quilted bag. A quilted bag made from organic fabrics or recycled materials such as: burlap bags, dishtowels, old curtains, jeans, used scarves or old clothes will help to curb plastic and paper bag waste, and can become an heirloom worthy of passing down to your children.

DIY Eco-Quilted Bag

This Quilted Bag from Quilting For Peace-Making the World A Better Place One Stitch at a Time, by Katherine Bell is an easy sewing project. Here is the pattern for the bag. Include in the bag a copy of this heartwarming book about a group of dedicated and diverse quilters who create small acts of creative kindness in their quest to make the world more peaceful.

Photo: Garnet Hill, Quilting For Peace

DIY Eco-Gifts For The Pet Lover On Your Holiday List

Naughty or nice, our pets love the holidays. My pooches catch the energy of all the holiday activity, but they don't always get what they want. Sure, they get unconditional love and romps in the snow, and hugs from guests, but they want more. They want cookies. Pets (especially dogs) suffer from severe cookie envy. They want holiday treats too.

Make these healthy dog treats to satisfy their holiday cravings.

Keep The Holidays Safe For Pets

Last year, I asked my sister-in-law, Dr. Carol Gamez of the Georgetown Veterinary Hospital, what pet owners can do to keep their pets safe and healthy.

1. So as to avoid an accident, keep your Christmas tree well anchored. This will prevent a curious feline or dog from knocking it over.

2. The use of tinsel, string or yarn to decorate the tree should be avoided, as these can potentially cause a life-threatening blockage if ingested by your cat.

3. Since cats love to chew on plants, keep Poinsettias in areas that the cat cannot access. Although not necessarily poisonous, they can cause serious gastrointestinal symptoms if ingested.

4. Never leave holiday candles burning in areas that can be accessed by your pets, as they could knock them over a cause a fire.

5. During the holiday season, we all tend to overeat. Sweets and high fat foods should not be given to your pets. And don't be tempted to feed them off the table. This encourages begging and bad manners.

6. After a holiday meal, enjoy a healthy walk and bring your furry friends too. Your dog will enjoy the exercise.

7. If it's chilly outside, keep your dog warm with a winter coat especially if they are a short-coated breed.

8. Salt on the road can harm your pet's feet. If at all possible, avoid salted roads. If not possible, dog boots can be worn. Or, simply shorten the walk. Then rinse your dog’s feet with warm water to remove the salt after the walk.

Thanks, Carol!

Photo: Jen Kiaba

DIY Eco-Gifts For The Organic Gardener On Your Holiday List

"I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues." ~ The Lorax

We all know what happened in Dr. Seuss' The Lorax…the Once-ler devised ways of cutting down Truffula Trees for the "Biggering and Biggering" of his manufacturing operation. The Once-ler "Biggered" to the point where he polluted the Lorax's water and air, and left him in a sunless panorama of Truffula stumps. Poor Lorax.

You are luckier than the Lorax, right? Maybe that's because you have an organic gardener on your holiday list. These eco-champions use their big green thumbs to stand up against ecological destruction. Gardening without harmful chemicals is their motto. Raising environmental awareness and creating and maintaining healthy ecosystems are their mission.

DIY Gifts For Organic Gardeners

Give An Organic Plant Truffala Trees withstanding, Charlie Nardozzi of the The Organic Authority suggests you look beyond poinsettias and give an unusual organic plant.

Plant it Green Use organic soil and newspaper to make these (super easy) DIY Seedling Cups.

Wrap It Green Ditch the non-recyclable shiny foil wrapping paper. My mom often wrapped our gifts in the comics section of the newspaper. Who knows, maybe that's why I like kids books so much. I also like using pieces of cloth scraps to wrap small gifts. Martha talks about how traditional wrapping of plants detracts from their "earthy beauty" here.

Gardening Bucket Make a Gardener's Bucket and enclose a copy or a quote from The Lorax:

"Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax 
and all of his friends 
may come back."

DIY Eco-Gifts For The Nature Lover on Your Holiday List

Do you know someone who needs to connect intimately with nature every day? Besides enjoying a healthy dose of the outdoors, what more could a nature lover need? While they are enjoying all of nature's beauty, they need to stay safe. Here are DIY gifts to keep your nature lover safe on the trail:

1. Create a walking map of the hikers destination with Google Earth and add a DIY compass to stay the course.

2. Knit a pair of hiking socks and fingerless gloves.

3. Put all your belongings in a DIY backpack. Here are instructions for making a cardboard backpack. It calls for a piece of folded cardboard, a few strips of wood, and a fabric strap.

4. Create a first-aid kit.

5. Everyone has their limitations, and it's good to have something to keep steady while walking. A good walking stick (or staff) can fend off an unstable disaster or maybe an unwanted critter. Did you know walking sticks have been proven to take a great deal of pressure off of the knees? Here's a tutorial to make one.

DIY Eco-Gifts For The Long Lost Relative On Your Holiday List

Nothing evokes family like holiday gatherings. Why not gather your whole family together in a family tree? Creating a family tree can be a profound and thrilling journey into unknown territory. Once you get past the forest of names and information, the insightful findings make the effort personally rewarding. Plus, it's a great gift for that hard-to-buy-for relative.

DIY Family Tree

My Tree and Me creates hip and modern genealogy charts connecting the history of your family. I also like My Tree and Me because 1% of all of their profits are donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Photos: Jen O'Neill for My Tree And Me