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Do-It-Yourself Gifts - Green Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Show you care by giving custom-made gifts that don’t waste precious resources.

Read gift suggestions from our community
  • Gardening Gift Certificate Gardening Gift Certificate Free! Why it's green: Offer to help out in a friend or family member’s garden. Mow the lawn, remove weeds, water plants, re-pot plants -- lend a hand where you’re needed most. Keep the green growing year-round. Recommended by: Green Picks
  • Paper Gifts Made From Junk Mail Paper Gifts Made From Junk Mail Free! Why it's green: Every year, 100 million trees are used to make junk mail. Take some of this unwanted paper and envelopes to make something useful and beautiful. Get creative with bookplates, ornaments, gift tags, and more. Recommended by: Green Home Huddle
  • Homemade Infused Vodka Homemade Infused Vodka Around $30 Why it's green: Find organic fruit, herbs, spices, or peppers at the farmers market (or your garden) and soak them a bottle of vodka (organic also, if possible). In two weeks or less, you'll have a flavored treat for holiday cocktail parties. Recommended by: Green Picks
  • Personal Babysitting Gift Certificate Personal Babysitting Gift Certificate Free! Why it's green: Give the gift of time to a harried parent. While mom or dad are out, play with kiddo in a park or whip up a tasty organic snack. Recommended by: Green Picks
  • Calligraphy With Bamboo Paintbrushes Calligraphy With Bamboo Paintbrushes $3 and up Why it's green: Embellish a card or wrapping paper or design an artwork to give as a gift. Or encourage a budding artist with a set of elegant brushes. These traditional Chinese paintbrushes are made of renewable bamboo. Recommended by: Greenopia
  • Eco-Friendly Cosmetics Eco-Friendly Cosmetics Around $20 Why it's green: Using natural ingredients like beeswax, essential oils, lemon juice, and sugar, you can make lip balms and body scrubs that are pure and sweet. Customize the scents for each gift recipient, decorate the jars, and you guarantee a unique gift. Recommended by: Green Picks
  • Homemade iPhone Case Homemade iPhone Case Varies Why it's green: High-tech wrapped in cozy old-school -- that's what happens when you use these patterns to knit, felt, or duct-tape up a personalized cover for that new iPhone (or other gadget). Use naturally dyed yarns or recycled materials to make it greener. Recommended by: Green Picks
  • Tickets to a Local Event Tickets to a Local Event Varies Why it's green: Make memories you can share by giving tickets to a sports game, concert, amusement park, theater performance, or other event. Package the tickets with a picture frame, then you can take a photo of both of you together at the event. Recommended by: Green Picks
  • ReadyMade Magazine ReadyMade Magazine $20 per year Why it's green: Imagine a bike wheel as a pot rack or a snowboard as a coffee table. Reusing and recycling are common themes in this hip magazine for crafty folks. Bursting with project ideas, ReadyMade will inspire anyone who owns a glue gun. Recommended by: Green Picks
  • Wine Cork Trivet Kit Wine Cork Trivet Kit $13 Why it's green: Turn eight wine corks into a handy trivet to keep hot pots from damaging the table or kitchen counters. It's even cooler if you've saved corks from special bottles of wine, such as that wedding champagne or 21st-birthday toast. Recommended by: Green Picks

Gift suggestions from our community

Showing 1 - 15 of 15 comments

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  • Posted by choo choo Mon Nov 17, 2008 11:38am PST
    How about knitting a scarf? Our creating a scarf out of old moth-eaten sweaters?
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  • Posted by Erin Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:13am PST
    Love that idea of the scarf out of old sweaters. apparently you can just unwind old sweaters to reuse the yarn.
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  • Posted by me123 Sat Nov 22, 2008 11:24am PST
    love the idea of making your own lip balm! thats so cool!im so going to try it!
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  • Posted by k k Tue Dec 2, 2008 7:52am PST
    Heres one go to wal mart buy CHEAP flease 5 yards one color 5 yards another then go along the ends cutting 1 in slits it in on both colors of flease then tie them together in a knot when your done you will have made a flease blanket with fring.. Tip: It only takes 2 hours to make one you can also use ribbon to hide the knots just tie them in a knot over it and it will look like little bows!!
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  • Posted by bees_33 Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:57am PST
    Looking for cheat gifts host or give a The Body Shop at Home party for friends or family. They can buy their holiday gifts for there friends and family too. By hosting a party you can receive up to $400 in FREE products. Plus it nature based, we don't test on animals, we work with community trade, and we really care about the envirnoment. email me for details bees_33@yahoo.com
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  • Posted by rilyalune Wed Dec 3, 2008 12:14am PST
    lamest article ever
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  • Posted by twinklexbelle2011 Wed Dec 3, 2008 10:41am PST
    n00b
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  • Posted by Seawings Wed Dec 3, 2008 10:28pm PST
    Take a garden magazine look for pretty pictures. Take a small envelope, carefully take it apart. Trace shape of envelope on selected page, cut, fold, and put back together with tape. Also works excellent with last year's calendars. I have sprayed paint on new kitty litter to make a border for a picture for a little boy's room.
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  • Posted by sparky's mom Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:06am PST
    don't forget about quilts. you can recycle old clothes, sheets and blankets, almost any fabric can be sewn into quilts. when my dad died i cut up a bunch of his shirts and made a quilt.and it reminds me of him.
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  • Posted by Tara Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:02am PST
    LAME
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  • Posted by treid80@verizon.net Sun Dec 14, 2008 5:02am PST
    sparky's mom, that is a great idea!!
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  • Posted by Melodye S Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:59pm PST
    It's spelled fleece.
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  • Posted by wise woman Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:19pm PST
    I noticed that the comments from "lame" "spelling Error" etc, did not put forward an idea! Perhaps instead of putting people down you might submit a green project and be part of the conversation. Some nice and cute ideas submitted, thank you. Lets play nice people...
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  • Posted by firewalkqueen13 Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:58pm PST
    How about this one? Instead of purchasing a gift for friends and loved ones -- DONATE MONEY in their name to a charitable, GREEN FOUNDATION!
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  • Posted by ~Peaches~ Tue Dec 16, 2008 8:55pm PST
    I agree with 'Wise Woman'...remember what you were taught..."If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all".
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