We have to admit that gift wrapping during the Holiday quickly filled the trash can. It makes sense to explore ways to be more ecologically conscious. And when the packages are as great as these, being eco-friendly feels like an indulgence.

The founder of Pi’lo is Heather Shaw, a Torontonian mother of 2 young boys. She hand makes functional items for the home. I like her minimalist, comfy style. Like Heather said on her site, her creations can be passed around like a family heirloom.

My Favorite Items from Pi’lo

Her reusable crackers are made with recycled pop bottles that are transformed to look and fill like felt. I interested by her concept since I decide to make my own crackers this year. Her eco felt cracker comes with a lining, ribbon closure and a tag that can be used as a place card or a gift tag. I would personalize the crackers by putting more festive ribbons and maybe adding a tiny gift ornament on one end.

Another good idea is to replace the standard paper gift bag with one of her felt bags. Intended for loots at at kids parties or baking bags, small gifts would fit nicely inside her felt bags. Add a few holiday decorative touches and voilà!

Some people exchange tree ornaments during the holiday. Her lovely photo pocket ornament would be appreciated. Insert a family photo and give then to grandparents, your best friends and close family members.

SOURCING:
+ Reusable Crackers $10 USD
+ Felt Bag $12 USD
+ Photo Pocket Ornament $18 USD

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The bauble shapes and colors caught my attention. This card featured a hand drawn illustration by artist Brandi Powell that is hand printed on an antique press. Also check the Season greetings set by Sweet Harvey Letterpress on etsy.

+ Merry Christmas letterpress greeting cards $24 USD for pack of 6

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Another find on etsy. This one would make a great holiday gift. I like the concept behind the writing slates produced by a a half kiwi-half canadian couple living with their cat in Vancouver. It is effectively simple. You have a choice of two permanent titles: “Today” or “This Week”.

+ Writing Slates – Planning edition $20 USD

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These personalized gift tags would be perfect for your holiday baked goodies. I particularly like the snowflake. Pretty Smitten sells them on etsy. You choose the icon, the color and the font.

+ Pretty Smitten Holiday – Rectangular Gift/Favor Tags with Personalized Winter Motifs $9 for 12 tags

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I selected these cute Holiday cards because they carry a good message while serving a cause. First from designer Bonnie Marcus, I like:

+ The Imagine Peace card (Have a peaceful holiday) was designed in collaboration with Nell Merlino, author & founder of “Take Our Daughters to Work Day”. A portion of the proceeds from this card will benefit Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education and community support for women owned businesses. $37.50 USD for 25 cards and envelops

+ The World Peace card is a design done with Cindy Crawford, model and activist. A portion of the proceeds from this card will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, whose mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. $37.50 USD for 25 cards and envelops

Moderne Motive

Then, I selected a series of holiday cards printed 100% post-consumer cover stock with 100% post-consumer Brown Bag Kraft envelopes. I cannot decide which drawings of Moderne Motive I like the best between:

+ Set of 8 Holiday Trees $12.50 USD on etsy
+ Set of 12 Joy and Peace Reindeer $18 USD

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If you are looking for a baby shower gift or a wonderful small Christmas gift for new parents, this could be it. A night light is a must when you live with babies and young kids. but savvy-design parents wish for something more than a basic night light.

Crafter Rachel Weber of Fog and Thistle hand mades these adorable papercut night lights. They all reveal a new element when you turn them on. The elephant is accompanied with a small bird. A baby monkey join his father on the tree. A spotted giraffe is next to the floral pattern giraffe.

I am sure that you will envy Rachel for the following. She appeared on Martha Stewart show where she demonstrated how she assembled one papercut night light.

You have the choice between a regular 5 watt bulb or pay a little extra to get one with a super energy efficient 1.3 watt LED light.

Giveaway

You have the chance to win the papercut night lights of your choice by entering the giveaway on blog of Fog and Thistle. Drawing will takes place next Saturday at midnight.

MORE:
+ Papercut Night Lights on Etsy $25 USD, personalized models $27

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A letterpress treat tag send the message that you doubly care. Added details on these rectangular tags include an eyelet and 1/2″ rounded corners at the top.

+ Cupcake Tag with eyelet by Dingbat Press $5 USD for set of 3
+ via Poppytalk Handmade

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Each zombie plate is unique since they are hand-painted by the Seattle-based artist behind the blog Urban Soule (soule is her etsy shop). She also makes zombie mugs. Plus, you can host a scary Halloween party without fearing the dishes since her plates are dishwasher-safe.  This a great find by Angela of Shelterrific, who is a self-confessed ghoulish decor fan.

+ Zombie Plate Style2 No2 $16 USD by Soule on etsy
+ via Shelterrific

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Sarah Collier referred to The Dotted Line as a vintage piece than meets digital. I love it! Sarah sells her art as 5 x7 ” print on etsy. This full time high school counselor, part time artist also finds the time to write an art blog called The Charm School Dropout.

+ The Dotted Line print $15 USD
+ Via PoppyTalk

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More and more designers are updating these old-fashioned tea essentials. They always kept their granny look but like the things at Anthropologie, it is part of their charm. Ruth Cross, who worked with Linda Bloomfield, creates knitted garment and home accessories. Her knitted work is exquisite.

Etsy constitutes a great source for cozies. Knit Storm crocheted adorable mug cozies using a recycled wool yarn. My favorite is the one with hanging “Tea Me!” bag that is hand embroidered onto a piece of off-white felt and attached to one side of the cozy. After discussing with my husband, he is worried that the cozy stands too tall to stay clean. For that reason, I will sleep on it before ordering mine.

One thing for sure is that tea and mug cozies are becoming more desirable by the minute since my cup of tea got cold as I wrote this post.

SOURCING:
+ Ruth Cross
+ Tea Me Mug Cozy by KnitStorm $14 USD

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These two items were to cute for not mentioning them. First, the cutest pincushions I have seen. Renilde was inspired by a small fishing village theme to create this series. Her needlework plays with basic forms in red, white and blue. The pincushions are available at Mieke Willems, a small shop in Belgium. Renilde has a blog called At Swim-two-birds.

The wood bowling set is a creation of Little Sapling Toys on etsy. They plant a tree through Trees for the Future for every toy sold. They use a local beeswax and organic jojoba oil finish to bring out the natural beauty of the woods. The organic SKITTLES include 10 6-inch tall profile blocks and 2 hardwood balls.

I discovered Mieke Williams through the beautiful blog of Jane of Simple Pretty that I followed on Twitter.

SOURCING:
+ Mieke Willens’ blog
+ organic SKITTLES – 10 pin retro wooden bowling developmental set $26 USD on etsy
+ Via

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Graphic designer Emily Arrison handcrafts paper tabletop creations for weddings and special events.  Her flora and fauna shaped cards are perfect for a garden party. She makes place cards, table numbers, menu cards, napkin rings that incorporate the place cards.

SOURCING:
+ Timeless Paper – starts at $1 a piece with minimum buy of a pack of 25 cards

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