eco-friendly edition #24.

While driving home during an especially long commute yesterday, I was listening to NPR (All Tech Considered, to be exact) and was happy to learn about this awesome organization, You Renew. If you have gadgets that you no longer use-- cell phones, computers, etc., you can essentially "sell" your gadget to this company, and they'll even provide you with the proper postage virtually! So awesome, right? Best of all: you're helping the environment and getting rid of yet another item that would stay in your junk drawer for months. Sign me up, please.

eco-friendly edition #23.

These reusable produce bags are pretty swell. The only trick is that on top of remembering your fancy grocery bags, you have to remember these little guys, too. Lately, I don't put any veggies or fruits in plastic while grocery shopping and that works just fine. Still, this is a smart little option that would be great for farmer's markets in the summer.

found via Happy Cavalier.

eco-friendly edition #22.

Eco-friendly love notes. Yippee!

eco-friendly edition #21.

A bird mobile. Made from vintage French magazines and recycled record jackets. Would be great for a baby gift or a wedding, don't you think?

eco-friendly edition #20.

This is certainly random for an eco-friendly post, but I had to mention this yogurt that I had for breakfast this a.m.: siggi's Icelandic style yogurt. I'm sure many of you have heard of it or seen it (or tasted it!) at your local gourmet market, but, despite the hefty price, it's made with milk from grass fed cows, and boasts that it uses no aspartame, sucralose, gelatin, artificial colorings, preservatives nor any high fructose corn syrup. Well-made and delicious, my friends! I had the "Pomegranate and Passion Fruit" but I'm sure all the flavors are perfection.

P.S. With all this talk about food, you'd guess I hadn't eaten enough this Christmas. And what a big, fat lie that is. . .

sweet little gift #8: ballet dahlias.

For your sweetest baby cousin, Delia Mae, because she sure doesn't need anything to make her more cute, but when you see or hear the word dahlia, you think of her, and wish you lived closer so you could hug her all day long.

$14.50 plus shipping, Ballet Dahlias in 3 colors, from Emersonmade

sweet little gift #7: a rockin' wine tote.

For your friend whom with you can rock the best life chat, and who always brought wine to your dinner parties when she lived down the block, and now when you cook, you still sometimes think you can call and invite her over even though you live 1,000s of miles apart.

$12 plus shipping, Map Tote, from Velocity Art and Design

(found via Design Sponge)

sweet little gift #5: aloe vera shaving soap for dudes.

For your favorite man on earth who is too good for that stuff full of chemicals from a can, and who deserves to have nothing but the softest skin.

$10 (free shipping!), Mohle Aloe Vera Shaving Soap, from DWR

sweet little gifts.

I'm not going to do too much in the way of Christmas gifting this year due to a tight budget and starting to pay back grad school loans in December, eeps! Besides that, Johnny and I are traveling to NYC for the holidays so we're telling ourselves our real gift is going to be spending time together in one of our favorite places. Furthermore, what I DO bring to gift has to be small, since we'll be living out of a suitcase for 12 + days. . .

With this in mind, I'll be posting tiny little gifts for giant-hearted people throughout the week. Please stay tuned. . .

P.S. The focus is not "on the cheap"; instead, the focus is on gifts that support good businesses, causes, the environment, the handmade movement, and most of all, love. xo.

photo via East Side Bride

eco-friendly edition #19.

i think this just might be my favorite eco-friendly edition find yet. i love letterpress. i love the lorax. i love art that is printed on reclaimed paper. i would love to hang this up in my classroom or office. you can swoon over this here.

found via design crush

eco-friendly edition #18.

today on well hello, chicago, we're going to feature a DIY eco-friendly option. i spotted this over on design sponge, and find it ever-so-clever. lindsay and taylor hackbarth created this look in their dining room. first, they painted that fun square on the wall and then used white wine bottles and hangings to hold them up. not only does this look chic, but would be a nice way to bring more fresh flowers in the house. for the full how-to tutorial, click here.

the redwoods.

national geographic recently completed an amazing photography project of the redwoods national forest. photographer michael nichols and his team worked to create a photo mosaic of an entire redwood tree--an attempt that had never been made before. check out this photo to see the finished product and this video to see how they made it happen.

p.s. there is also this interactive 300 piece jigsaw puzzle. i would get so dizzy trying to put this together!

photograph from jlehman's flickr photostream

eco-friendly edition #17.

wrist worms. handmade by sandra juto with 100% wool. bliss.

found via mrs. french

eco-friendly edition #16.

i just adore this animal a-z poster for a kid's room. it's made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and created using soy inks.

also, check out this "everything is good" poster where the mission is to teach little ones about "our responsibility to tread lightly on the world" and "how to count and style in peace." totally awesome.

eco-friendly edition #15.

instead of featuring a lovely item this morning, lets look at these pretty pictures. taken in new zealand, the forest light that comes through in each shot is so calming, don't you think? happy tuesday, dear friends. xo.

pictures by mollivan jon.

eco-friendly edition #13.

i recently discovered sublet clothing via ez of creature comforts. i'm 100% smitten with this eco-friendly clothing company, and love their mission to zero in on and support the sustainable movement. you can read more about their story here. the owners seem like the coolest gals.

eco-friendly edition #12.

i love these rad pillows, made and designed by emma, of emma loves retro. all of her pillows are made with recycled vintage fabric, and vintage buttons, to boot. any of these could add great punch to a room, don't you think?

found via this is glamorous

eco-friendly edition #8.

i've been feeling a little sad and down in the dumps the past couple of days, so instead of featuring a product, i give you these beautifully green and calming photos from linnphotography. they remind me of being in ireland. i'm planning to go spend some time outdoors today, soaking up the cusp of the changing season from summer to fall. xo.

found thanks to joanna via abbey

well hello, beautiful ring.

this understated ring is so gorgeous, i must admit. barbara michelle jacob's says that the shape and structure of the ring is cast from an actual twig from central park. i really love that. check out more of her beautiful creations at her etsy store.

eco-friendly edition #6.

check out this organic, fair-trade fabric from showpony on etsy. subtle and sweet, don't you think?