Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

10 Simple Ways to Reuse That Gift Wrap this Holiday!

I don’t know about you but I find much of the traditional gift wrap sold in stores to be – how to say this – tacky. But what’s even tackier is all of the waste that’s created from people opening up a gift, crumbling the paper into a ball and then tossing it in the trash.

You’re better than that.

Since you’ll likely be given gifts wrapped in a number of ways, many of which won’t be green, keep these very practical and easy ideas in mind for re-purposing the gift wrap you’re given this season.

1.) Store the wrapping paper and re-use it. You can iron out any kinks on low heat.

2.) If it’s crumbled beyond repair, keep it anyway! You can just shred it and use it as the filler in gift bags.
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Heroines for the Planet: Upcycled Bag Designer Monica Ralli

She’s a certified nutritionist, eco-entrepreneur, author and the reigning Queen of Green in the twitterverse. It’s no surprise that Monica Ralli, founder of Urthbags, is a Heroine for the Planet. Her wildly popular eco-bags provide jobs to underprivileged women worldwide as old, discarded objects are cleverly transformed into statement-making arm candy.

With her new book to be released this spring, I talked with the eco-chic bag extraordinaire about the fair-trade womens organizations with which she works, sustainable sourcing, and why she chooses to be a mouthpiece for the do-gooders in our world.
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Jewelry for Eyebrows: Highbrow’s Haute Recyclage Looks Up

Accessories for eyebrows? Alicia Lubowski-Jahn says ‘Yes!’
Photo by: Kevin Kwan

With so many fashion and accessories designers working with recycled materials, it comes as a surprise that we’ve all ignored something right before our eyes…or I should say directly up above them.

Therein comes the designer Jessica Sapick, who recently launched Highbrow. Highbrow is Sapick’s line of handmade upcycled eyewear with signature clip-on eyebrow ornament.
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Susan Harris Recycled Textiles Offer One-of-A-Kind Style

I first met Susan Harris four years ago at her studio in Toronto, and I was like a kid in a candy store as I sorted through recycled sweaters, gorgeous-pieced sweater sleeves (one of my favorite accessories of all-time), cashmere/woolen wraps, and cozy leg warmers. Susan’s effortless style and chic cuts make her fashion accessible and appealing.

Everything Susan makes is one-of-a-kind, though she does repeat themes and embellishments in her work. Contrast stitching, silk-screened nature-inspired images or text, and rough-hewn seems punctuate the aesthetic of Susan Harris fashions.
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Repurpose or Reuse Common Household Items in Your Home Decor

The following is a guest post by the contributor of DIY-Guides.com, where you can find other useful decoration tips. Photo by suzette.

If you have an old household item that you just don’t use or maybe even don’t like any longer… why not give it new life and use in your home? It will be more eco-friendly – by not filling up our landfills, and help on the pocketbook at the same time. It’s a win-win situation.

So don’t think of a piece of furniture or household item as “old” or “useless” – repurpose it into something useful that will fit and even enhance your home decor.

While searching for some ideas, I found some great ways to repurpose some old items I have hanging around the house. One of them is on how to make new pillows. I happen to need new pillows for my guest bedroom – without having to trash the old ones and spending more money.

I fell in love with this first idea. In fact, I’m working on the pillows right now. And plan on giving these other ideas a try, too. Maybe you’ll find them useful as well:

Turn a Shirt into a New Pillow

As I said, I was looking for a way to make new pillows, so this idea was up my alley. My husband had several button-down shirts in his closet that don’t fit anymore or have had small stains on the sleeves. Perfect. And my guest bedroom is blue and white so blue, white and white/blue striped dress shirts are just what I’m looking for.

Here’s the easy to follow instructions to make your own button-down pillows at MarthaStewart.com. I also ran across another idea using old blankets. So I’ve decided to use one of my son’s baby blankets to make a special pillow as a keepsake. Here’s an easy how-to at DIY Guides.
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