Just look at this beautiful bouquet from a company called Gifts-To-Impress.  This would be a great centerpiece at any baby shower or as a welcome home present for a new mom and baby.  The "roses" are actually baby clothes rolled up to look like flowers!  You can get the arrangements in pink, blue or gender neutral yellow.  The clothes are 100% organic, unbleached and undyed t-shirt, beanie, socks, bib and onesie.  The color comes from the the greenery and fake flowers surrounding the rolled up layette pieces.  Another really cool and eco-friendly part of this gift is that the greenery and fake flowers are made from wood shavings and recycled paper!

I've seen DIY versions of baby bouquets using facecloths or just socks as well.  They didn't look too hard to do and ended up looking very, very cute!  E-how has a pretty good article explaining how it's done but it seriously needs a picture to show how cute the project really can be!  The only downside to receiving this bouquet is that you'd have to take it apart to use the pieces!  I'm not sure that I'd have the heart...just so pretty!

It's half way through July...if you're not yet thinking of Christmas, you'd better get to it!!  There's this awesome site where you can get the best Christmas presents for everyone on your list!!  Looking for something for that hard to buy for Dad on your list?  Why not look at Mens Ugly Sweaters???  Do you need to get a couple gifts for your nieces and nephews??  Think about getting Ugly Christmas Sweaters!  Heck, they've even got ugly sweaters in the dog variety!  Okay, now you're probably asking why, right?  Why the heck would anyone want to buy these sweaters?

I'll give you a taste of the item description for the top sweater just to give you an idea of how great these sweaters really are:

"This sweater makes me want to get up out of my chair and sing...

Blinded by the light,
wrapped up like a douche,
dry humping flying kites...

What does that song even mean? It has amazing lyrics, but is there some sort of subliminal messaging? When obscure curiosity strikes people make mistakes, music or sweaters. This ugly sweater has so many beads and elaborate buttons that you will feel like you are wrapped like a douche."

LMAO!!!  You can't afford not to buy this.  They do offer free shipping.

There's a new phenomenon that you're certainly going to want to jump in on.  It's the Ugly Sweaters Christmas Parties.  Essentially, everyone puts on ugly Christmas sweaters and hits the pub.  It's not complicated.  Everyone will know you're together if you're drinking in your sweaters.  You won't have to ask where your friends are and you can no longer see properly.  People will just point and laugh and you'll know which direction they've headed in.  You'll never be ditched again!  It's like wearing team shirts after a baseball game only more sweatery and less athleticy.  Drinking and ugly sweaters go together like peanut butter and jelly or meat and potatoes or trees and leaves.

Speaking of trees, these would make awesome eco-friendly gifts for people!  This band of merry ugly sweater wearing environmentalists scour the globe looking for the best offerings in the category of used sweaters.  That's right, they're already broken in for you!!  Seriously, think of all the landfill space you'll be saving by buying these sweaters.  Shop now, selection is limited!

Great for gag gifts for those reminiscing for times gone by or just people that are old.  There's many takes of the ugly Bill Cosby sweater available to purchase right now.  The eighties were a great decade for the ugly sweater and I say, let's make that retro trend cool again!

This is a sposored post (that I'd have easily done for free!) with 100% real opinions.

Check out these awesome photo albums that use records and their sleeves as the cover.  They're made by Halifax ecologist Maggy Burns who runs Re-Cover Journals.  She doesn't just do photo albums out of records though...She does journals, notebooks, doodle books and address books out of a variety of used goods.  Mostly the notebook covers are made from used books rescued from the landfill.  Just think of all the stuff you could make into a notebook cover...the possibilities are really endless.  Have no ideas??  Go to the Clean Calgary Association Eco-Store and buy one of Maggy's books.  They carry a variety of her stuff from the photo albums to the books in a variety of sizes and styles.

Maggy Burns makes the products using 100% post-consumer recycled paper for the pages of her books and literally takes things right out of the dustbin at times.  The covers of the books range from sexy to funky to funny and everything in between.  If you look enough, you just might get lucky and find something you absolutely adore!  This would also make a great DIY project for those of you with old LP's laying around or lots of colorful book covers that you don't want anymore.  I've also seen the covers made out of old calendar pages.  Sometimes the photos in calendars are just terrific!  Ohhhh, a sexy fireman note book---lol.  That would be a "hot" seller!

Use your creativity and imagination to try to discover another use for something before you throw it out...you may just come up with your own eco-friendly business idea!  At the very least, you'll keep something out of the landfill that doesn't need to be there.

Check out these gorgeous recycled glass terrariums from VivaTerra.  Their pear shape and fluted top make them perfect for a vase as well.  They come with the sand and four minimal maintenace air plants for $79 or empty for use as a vase for $49.  I'd definitely love to get one of these as a gift -- terrarium style if you're reading this husband of mine!

The miniature dessert landscape brings a piece of the outdoors in while the styling of the recycled glass pear evokes a sense of symmetry and beauty found only in nature.  Beautiful and environmentally friendly.  What more could you ask for?

Batik is a fabric that is decorated with a traditional wax-resist dye method.  It is a Malaysian word and is very popular there.  It's also gaining popularity throughout the world.  Designers have recognized that the material brings in a very traditional feel to modern, cutting edge pieces.  The juxtaposition of the old type of fabric and the new style of clothing makes this material indispensable.

Batik can be used for nearly anything from home decor pieces such as table runners and placemats to formal wear batik pieces in silk to casual wear batik pieces in cotton to fashion accessories such as scarves and purses.  Many manufacturers have moved away from the hand-made batik to more cost effective and high production machinery work to replicate the hand done style.  In my opinion, nothing beats handmade.

KrafOnline carries a wide range of handmade batik clothing items, accessories and home decor items.  These products would be great as gifts as well as for personal use.  This is definitely worth taking a look at.  The colours and range of products are astounding.

These adorable onesies are by Petunia Pickle Bottoms -- one of my absolute favourite kids brands. They're 100% combed organic cotton with a kimono style top that makes it sooo much easier to get the shirts on and off. It's fun to shop for Designer Baby Clothes but remember to keep your environmentally friendly principals in mind even when buying gifts.  Every time you purchase products that are sustainable, organic, local or good for the environment in some way, you make producers know that these things are important.  Remember that they're service providers who are in it for the money.  If something makes them money, they're going to do it.  Make sure that the protection of the environment is something that producers are going to keep in mind by opening your wallet and your mind at the same time!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

Another Christmas has gone by.  The holiday season is now completely over -- thank goodness!  Now's the time to figure out all those weird and wonderful Christmas gifts and gadgets.  It seems that every year there are even more and more electronic gifts brought into our house.  Even our two year old got a digital camera this year!  Funny that she got it right at the same time that my Mom got her first digital camera too!!  I can't wait to see what kinds of pictures that she takes -- both the toddler and the middle aged mom.  Oh boy, I hope she doesn't read this...

We also got my mom a digital frame this year.  It's kind of cool because it has an sd flash memory card in it that can go straight from her camera into the frame.  Hopefully this makes it really easy for her to use both the frame and the camera.  I really don't want to teach her how to do it a million times!  At least with the toddler's camera we don't expect her to know how to download the pictures.  Unfortunately, her camera doesn't have an sd flash memory card in it.

As for other electronic gifts that we got this year, I think it was just mainly computer, Wii and Xbox games for the teenager.  I guess that's why we really haven't seen much of him since Christmas.  It seems like kids are so much work when they're little and you just want a break from them and then they get bigger and disappear and you just want to spend time with them.  *Sigh*

Christmas has become so commercialized as stores try to get us to buy more and more gifts.  This drive has lead to people, especially kids, becoming more and more materialistic.  In these failing and uncertain economic times, stores are trying even harder to get us to buy.  This can sometimes lead to a huge excess of gifts for both kids and adults alike.  Christmas this year should be cut back to be a reflection of our changing world.  We can teach our children what Christmas is really about, depending on what your particular family values are.

There are some things that no family can have too much of for Christmas.  Of course, there can never be too much family time.  Sometimes it may feel like there is when your crazy Aunt Sally keeps kissing you and patting you on the head when you're 50 years old.  But in reality, family time is the time that is a treasure.  These are the times that will become cherished memories even if they feel pretty painful at the moment.  Many people don't have families at all or the families they do have are not full of love and joy.  If you've got a good family, let them know how much you love them.

Another thing you can never have too much of is friends.  To me, that's what Christmas is really about.  Spending time with family and friends.  Not spending money on them!

You can never have too much giving at Christmas.  Whether it's volunteering your time at the local soup kitchen or giving gifts to needy kids or whatever it is that you have to give.  Maybe all you have is $1 and no time at all.  Consider giving it to the Salvation Army guys that are always standing around ringing their bells in malls.  If everyone gave just one dollar, think how far it could go!

It's that time of year again -- Christmas shopping!  I tend to think of it as a challenge more than something to be dreaded.  What exactly would everyone like for Christmas?  I find that guys are much harder to shop for than girls -- probably because I'm a girl so I understand them.  Girls like things that are pretty, soft, or smell good.  What do guys like?  I guess it depends on the guy.

I've found that most of them have an interest in tools of some kind.  This can be tricky though if you don't know what they already have.  Tape measures are good as stocking stuffers though because they just can't seem to get enough of them for some reason!  How about a tie for that business minded guy on your list?  Pretty boring but useful certainly.  Maybe golf clubs or golf accessories would be a good idea, if your Dad or man is into that kinda thing.  Or maybe some clothes if they're "fashion challenged" or even worse, metrosexual.  If they have a mustache, I discovered this weird thing online -- mustache cups!  They're like a regular mug but it has a ceramic part across the top that holds the mustache in place.  Google it to see what the heck I'm talking about.  It's sort of hard to picture until you see it.  I hope this gave you at least one idea for that hard to buy for guy on your list!

Christmas craft sales are finally here!!! I attended my first one of the year last weekend and found many treasures. I ended up buying some hand knitted scarves from a local knitter living in my community as well as some fridge magnets created by her daughter. The magnets had photos on them that she had taken of her blooming garden in the summer. They are gorgeous and a great idea! I love to be able to meet local artisans and tell them how great I think their work is. I also met and spoke with a local soap maker. I even bought some coal soap for my teen's stocking from her. She sells on Etsy as well. If you've never visited Etsy online (www.etsy.com), I'd definitely recommend checking it out. It's like a craft fair but online! They also focus on selling many recycled items or upcycled items, depending on how you look at it. I think that buying local is a great way to support the economy of small business owners or crafts people. It helps the environment by cutting down on shipping and packaging waste. It helps you to know that the products that you are bringing into your home are safe -- you have met and spoke with the artisan who lives in your town and knows the local regulations for product safety. I would definitely recommend craft sales as a way of completing your Christmas shopping while thinking of some of the greater issues in the world.