Natural and Sustainable

Get your crafty on with the natural Christmas gifts. They are quick and painless to make and they are a lot better to give than gifts that are mass-producted.

• Festive Fire: Show your appreciation for the little deeds neighbors and others have done with a bundle of kindling. For a pretty presentation wrap a ribbon and greenery or a fragrant sprig of willow-leaf peppermint. Slide ribbon through a matchbox wrapped in festive paper for an all-in-one gift.

• Picture-Perfect Mailer: Treat relatives to an easy-to-mail album that recaps the year in photos. Layer and staple small sheets of paper along one edge of card stock. Fold over stapled edge twice; flip paper to inside, creating aflap. Crease card stock; insert opposite edge under flap. Use photo corners to attach photos to paper.

•Sparkling Towels: Embellished tea towels are a gem of a stocking stuffer. Just bejewel and be done. Iron a rhinstone transfer for decorating jens onto a smooth-texture towel. Following manufacturer’s instructions, such as a twig design resembleing a Christmas tree, but the towel is still versatile enough to use year-round.

• Snowy Village Ornaments: Replicate a friend’s house or build an entire village with paper abodes. Use patterns you hae made out of cardboard and transfer onto card stock. Create a wintry scene by sprinkling glitter on crafts glue spread on the roof and base of the houses. Or attach icicles formed from hardened hot glue. Decorate with a miniature tree and a wreath made from chenille stem (pip-cleaner). Hot-glue a clothespin or candle clip to the base to attach the ornament to a tree. Pick up patterns here.

• Snow Globe Centerpieces: Snow globes are a Christmas classic. With an oversize spheres put on an impressive display. You can use 7-8 inch flower aquariums with magnifying qualities that give the contents added pop. Look for the aquariums, which include a globe, rubber base, and plastic stand, at floral shops or online. Use epoxy to attach ceramic or plastic ornaments and figurines to the rubber base, which also serve as the lid. Fill the globe with distilled water to just below the opening; add about 1 tbs. of liquid glycerin (found in the soap-making sections of hobby stores) to thicken the water. Sprinkle with glitter. Working over a sink, slowly invert the decorated portion of the rubber base into the water. Stretch the seal of the rubber base over the lid of the globe. Attach the plastic stand, turn the globe upright, and watch the snow fall. FOr extra sparkle, stand the snow globe in a silver wine bottle coaster.

•Merry Paperweights: Glass paperweights decked out for the holidays make a practical and gender-neutral gift. Idal for co-workers and teachers to organize paper. The super-simple project starts with a glass paperweight kit, availiable at crafts and hobby stores or online. Decorate the paperweight with scrapbooking paper gift wrap, or an old Christmas card. Thin foam letters glued on one paper sends glad tidings.

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*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: This winter if you plan on using a wood-burning fireplace, consider an eco-friendly one or eco-friendly buring options. Ones that are earth-friendly options include fireplaces that use clean-burning ethanol; no chimney required, such as the ones from EcoGreen Fire and crackling logs that burn for three hours; made from coffee waste and vegetable oil, and packaged in recycled materials from Java-Log Fireplace Logs. You can also opt for ones like Duraflame that use petroleum-free logs that burn for three hours and use 80% fewer resources than regular firewood.. Either one you choose is great for the earth-conscious consumer that wants toasty hands and feet this season.