Growing a Green Family » plantable paper http://www.growingagreenfamily.com Green living year round Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:39:50 +0000 en hourly 1 2011 Eco-friendly Holiday Greeting Cards http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/2011-ecofriendly-holiday-greeting-cards/ http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/2011-ecofriendly-holiday-greeting-cards/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:41:18 +0000 Jennifer Chait http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/?p=10029

The best and greenest way to go when it comes to holiday greeting cards is to skip the store-bought paper cards and send e-cards or make homemade cards with recycled paper and other art supplies you already have on hand. However, since the holidays are quickly approaching, and since some people do green store-bought cards, here are some eco-friendly holiday greeting card ideas…




Greener Peace Wreath: This simple, yet sweet card is designed by Hello Little One for Tiny Prints. It’s meant for businesses, but could be customized for anyone. Tiny Prints uses 30% post consumer content paper for both their Signature Recycled Matte and their Textured White & Textured Ecru paper cards. Their Studio Basics Smooth Matte designs are printed on FSC-certified paper. See other fun Tiny Print holiday cards below.

Night Owl Paper Goods is one of my favorite unique green shops. Not only are their holiday cards 100% adorable, but they make their cards with sustainable birch wood or 100% reclaimed & recycled cotton from the garment industry and use eco-friendly processes. You can also get personalized family holiday cards.

Paper Culture holiday cards are modern and eco friendly – featuring exclusive designs, premium quality and 100% recycled paper. They have a lot of cute cards to choose from, but this year two of my faves are Colored Snowflakes and Little Frosty.

Twisted Limb Paperworks has many wonderful holiday cards and this company is super green. They make 100% recycled paper using combinations of recycled office paper, junk mail and used grocery bags. Water used in the paper making process is recycled from the company’s dehumidifiers and air conditioner whenever possible and no extra fake colors are added to the paper. Envelopes, reply cards, and cardstock invitations are 100% recycled. Check out the Golden Shimmer Handmade Paper Ornament which doubles as a card and resembles an antique glass ball decoration (an awesome deal too – 8 cards + frost envelopes for under $23!)

Smock makes some of the most beautiful holiday cards on the planet and uses eco-friendly materials and practices, such as bamboo paper, bamboo envelopes, 50% post-consumer polyester boxes and sustainable offsetting. They also use only vegetable-oil based and low-Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) inks and plant trees for the planet, among many other eco-practices. See their lovely designs below.

Green Field Paper Company offers both handmade paper and machine made hemp paper along with seed embedded paper (embedded with wildflower seeds). This year, their holiday collection has expanded and is totally adorable. I like their Grow-A-Note Snow Birds and Grow-A-Note Hibiscus Turtle.

All Positively Green cards are “green manufactured” to leave the lightest possible environmental footprint. Plus, 10% of the profits are donated to organizations that protect our environment and fight global warming. They have many holiday cards to choose from, but I like Exhilarate the spirit! holiday package set

The National Wildlife Federation offers many wildlife inspired holiday cards that help support the environment. For example, their Gift-a-Tree Card Seasons cards plant trees for friends and family.

]]> http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/2011-ecofriendly-holiday-greeting-cards/feed/ 2 Green Valentine’s Day Cards http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/green-valentines-day-cards/ http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/green-valentines-day-cards/#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:00:04 +0000 Jennifer Chait http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/?p=1346

Your greenest choice when it comes to Valentine’s Day cards is to make cards yourself using recycled materials you have around the house already. This is a more resourceful and more fun and creative choice. However, if you’re having a party, need a massive amount of cards, or don’t keep a bunch of art materials around, you may need to buy Valentines. In this case choose green options. Some ideas for greener purchased Valentines are below…

wild bunch

Tiny Prints has a great selection of 100% eco-friendly recycled paper Valentine’s Day cards, such as the cute Wild Bunch card shown above. Although at Tiny Prints the paper recycled content varies so make sure that you read the small print. Cards are made with either FSC-certified paper or at least 30% post-consumer waste. You can also customize print and photos on almost all cards. Below are some of my favorite Tiny Print designs for Valentine’s Day.

tiny prints valentine's day cards

latte-love

Night Owl Paper Goods offers some of the cutest sustainable wood and recycled paper Valentines around! I like the Latte card, but then I’m a coffee freak. Many other design choices as well.

My Good Greetings – Celebrate the loveliest day of the year with a custom Valentine’s Photo Card. Your personalized Valentines Greetings will be printed eco-friendly on 95# 100% Recycled, FSC Certified, matte card stock paper with 100% recycled, white envelopes. Choose from a number of beautifully designed Valentines photo cards in hip, trendy Valentine colors. Click your favorite design to start creating your custom photo card.

my good greetings valentine day cards

Also check out Minted. They offer their cards on fully recycled paper as well and have an adorable selection…

New Valentine's Day Cards

]]> http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/green-valentines-day-cards/feed/ 0 Homemade Eco-Friendly Valentines http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/homemade-eco-friendly-valentines/ http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/homemade-eco-friendly-valentines/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:29:36 +0000 Jennifer Chait http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/?p=1354

For Valentine’s Day you and the kids can make oodles of green-minded Valentines with recycled materials. It’s almost always better to make cards than purchase new because obviously it saves resources, but also it’s a lot more fun and it’s way more special for the recipient to get a personally made card. Note, while not all card ideas you’ll see are specifically noted as being made with recycled materials, it’s an easy fix; simply exchange any new materials for reused materials and you’re good to go.

Below are some great ideas for homemade Valentine’s Day cards…

TwoPeasValentine

Maybe the most adorable green Valentine idea I’ve ever seen – Two Peas In A Pot! A brilliant and sweet idea crafted by Hester Jane at Fun In The Making (an awesome green living site) with a recycled milk carton, recycled seed catalogs, and actual garden seeds. See the entire post at Fun In The Making for more images and great instructions. There are other cool Valentine’s Day ideas here too so be sure to browse around.

An adorable pop-up Valentine’s Day card made with recycled mail.

Soda Can Pull-tab Buckle Card.

Lots of great recycled Valentine ideas at Inhabitots including no-sew fortune cookies, adorable matchbox treat boxes, and more.

candy heart valentines

If you’re short on time and need a fast fix print out the adorable (and FREE!) Candy Heart Valentines (shown above) or the equally sweet Love Is All You Need printable Valentines made by Bunny Cakes. Or you can get inexpensive personalized printables from Bunny Cakes’ shop.

Hippity Hoppity Valentine Card

Family Fun has an outstanding collection of Valentine’s Day cards.

Make some – Homemade Plantable Paper! Once you make your plantable paper you can use it to make sweet, garden ready Valentines.

Extras! In case you need something cute to go with the card.

cardboard-tube-cupid

]]> http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/homemade-eco-friendly-valentines/feed/ 2 Eco-friendly Holiday Greeting Cards http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/eco-friendly-holiday-greeting-cards/ http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/eco-friendly-holiday-greeting-cards/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:56:34 +0000 Jennifer Chait http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/?p=852

The best way to go when it comes to holiday greetings is to skip the paper and send e-cards, or make homemade cards with recycled paper you already have. However, since some people do like cards you can hold, here are some ideas…

Pear Tree Greetings – Pear Tree now offers fully recycled Christmas Cards made with 100% recycled material and that includes both the card and envelope. I like the ones below but they have a full selection to browse.

pear tree greetings

icon

Tiny Prints has beautiful holiday cards available from photo card greetings, to classic and contemporary designs, and even holiday cards designed just for kids and now 100% of their products and packaging feature eco-friendly recycled paper. Their paper varies though so make sure that you read the small print. Cards are made with either FSC-certified paper or at least 30% post-consumer waste. You can also customize print and photos on almost all cards. Below are some Tiny Print designs that will look amazing for the holidays.

holiday cards

Holiday Greetings and Stenciled Elegance

green holiday cards

Ornate Birds and Colorful Creations – kids coloring cards

recycled christmas cards

Festive Package and Snowy Sensation

Another good place to get cards is at Good Greetings, a company that uses 100% recycled, 50% post consumer waste paper for all their cards. They also use 100% digital short-run presses which significantly reduce paper waste and emit 90% less Volatile Organic Compounds. Nice! Below are three awesome holiday choices.

good greetings

night owl paper goods

Night Owl Paper Goods is one of my fave shops. They make sustainable birch wooden holiday cards (shown above, that yes, you can write on) plus this year are offering a mixed sustainably harvested wood & luxurious letterpress PLUS cards made with letterpress scraps and eco-friendly, sustainably harvested wooden bits, and so much more. You can even order custom cards.

Artecnica - Fairy Tail 6ft greeting cards by Tord Boontje

I hesitate to totally recommend this next card because it seems excessive but it’s really cool. Artecnica – Fairy Tail greeting cards by Tord Boontje – these are greeting cards that can stretch up to 6ft! Sort of like a sculpture / greeting card, Fairy Tail cards are available in 2 color combos: white/white or red/pink. Comes with a wood-free paper envelope.

Also check out…

  • Green Field Paper Company has some cute recycled hemp and plantable paper cards just for the holidays.
  • I like these basic Branch Note Cards – which I think are meant for spring, but I think they look winter-ready.

Later we’ll look at some easy homemade holiday cards you and the kiddos can make using recycled and natural materials.

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