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 Kids On Your List

Kids learn by example from their parents (yes, I like to jump off swings too). The holidays are the time of year when everything is heightened, including the messages and traditions parents pass on to their children.

In the holiday craze, sometimes the important messages of the season get tossed out the window, only to be replaced by the, "I want..." and "Can I have..." vibe. I remember how the arrival of the massive Toys R Us catalog would send my kiddies into a "I want..." tizzy.

One gift you can never go wrong with is play dough. Little kids love its tactile squishiness. Not only does play dough provide hours of fun, it has the ability to improve hand strength, dexterity, and motor skills.

"Recent research also shows that using your fingers and hands actually stimulates your brain and increases the number of neural connections it makes." ~ Schloastic Magazine

For some fun brain exercise, why not make a batch of play dough for the little ones on your holiday list? There are lots of recipes for play dough, but this natural one I've been making with school children for years:

DIY Play Dough

What you need:

2 cups organic flour 2 cups warm water/apple juice 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil 2 tablespoons cream of tartar 1 cup organic sea salt Natural color: Beet Juice - Pink, Spinach Juice or Parsley Powder - Green, Carrot Juice or Paprika Powder - Orange, Turmeric Powder – Yellow

What to do:

1. Place ingredients, into a large pot over. 2. Cook on a low flame and mix. 3. Keep mixing until the consistency is heavy. 4. Put in bowl and let cool. 5. Knead the dough. 6. Add natural coloring

Here's the original post with more DIY eco-holiday gifts for kids.

DIY Gifts For The Artist On Your Holiday List: Eco-Art Box

DIY is already a part of an artist's creative ethos. But it can be a challenge to find art supplies that are both healthy and eco-friendly. Artists welcome gifts that don’t add to the toxic soup they are often faced with daily. Why not give the artist on your holiday list all the makings for an earth-friendly, non-toxic art set? 3 Eco-Tips:

1. Read labels on art materials carefully. If a label says the product presents a health risk, chances are it will also pollute ground water when disposed of. 2. To determine whether a product is nontoxic, look for the AP (Approved Product) seal from the Art and Creative Materials Institute. AMI reviews art materials for toxicology. These products are safe for children and adults. 3. Take a whiff. Smell is a good indicator of toxicity. If it stinks, leave it out.

How to make an Eco-Art Box:

Turn an old silverware chest into an art supplies box, repurpose a fishing tackle box, or make a box from scrap wood to house art supplies.

Fill the Eco-Art Box:

Ecoartworks provides all the makings for creating green art: plant-based pastels, natural paint sets, hemp sketch pads, plant colored pencils, recycled sketch books, drawing books with onion paper, soy crayons and more. Include a copy of the Green Guide For Artists. This fabulous book contains non-toxic recipes, green art ideas and resources for the eco-conscious artist.

For more DIY gifts for the artist in your life CLICK HERE.

Random Halloween Sightings

Halloween comes and goes without much hoopla in an empty nest deep in the woods. Trick or Treaters that spook the living daylights out of my dogs haven't ventured up my driveway in years. My own little zombies (below) are all grown up and have flown the nest (as they should). There is a glimmer of regret about not being able to enjoy Halloween vicariously through my babes.

Do not shed a tear for me – Halloween may not be my holiday anymore, and the kids only mildly resemble grown-up versions of those little zombies, but I still enjoy the holiday. Even if you have given up participating in the kitchier side of Halloween (parents do the strangest things), one does not have to relinquish all the treats.

Here’s an adult-sized dose of Halloween eye-candy:

Pumpkin Pillow

Eerie White Pumpkins

Knitted Skull

Halloween Spoon Garden Markers

Don't forget a Black CFL.

Happy Halloween!

Main image: Devils Thorn via Garden Design

I Feel The Chalk

As the summer winds down, price cheap I feel, taste and smell the chalk. See, I was a teacher for many years and chalk was a constant companion. I stumbled on this whimsical video over on Poppytalk and it made me smile. Maybe some of you who are heading back to school or putting kids on the bus? Are you feeling the chalk too?

https://youtu.be/6gvOVWKKxmo

Image: Keith Haring Chalkboard