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Home > MP Monthly Guide
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December 2009 |
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In this Issue:
tip of the month
up-cycle your single socks
gift wrap ideas
modern paper ornaments
nifty gifties
thought of the month
Circle of Health International December Charity
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UP-CYCLE YOUR HOLIDAY
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So many things to remember this season and I am about to add to your list. Before you bring more stuff in your home try simplifying your home and learning how to up-cycle, recycle and say good-bye to unused stuff in our house. Remember, one persons trash is another persons treasure, so try not to throw things in the trash. For the holidays make sure to take belongings like blankets, sweaters and toys to Salvation Army, Goodwill or a shelter.
Next, don't forget to recycle, especially during a season where there is so much waste. Lastly, remember this is a time to be with loved ones and relax and enjoy one another. Don't get bogged down with everything you think you should do and end up stressed and grumpy.
In this issue you will find crafts that will help you make wonderful holiday gifts...including wrapping paper. In addition, the gift becomes more personal. Trust us, these finds will make them ooh and aah, and save your pocketbook.
New holiday items for kids: stuffed animals, wooden puzzles, Treeblocks, Pixel Organic's pajamas, Under the Nile stuffed veggies and more. For the adults eco gifts are the best, so don't miss our new To-Go Ware line, the always fabulous bamboo utensils, up-cycled scrabble piece necklaces and Amenity reclaimed wood accessories.
We will also be launching our Simple Food blog with recipes that you can cook faster than waiting in line for take out. Enjoy!
Happy Holidays,
Amanda
MavoPavo.com
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tip of the month
 Easy clean-up, biodegradable
and BPA free
With all the guest coming for the Holidays wouldn't clean-up be easier if you used disposable plates? I'm not talking about paper, but bamboo. Introducing Veneerware our versatile, sustainable and renewable bamboo line from Bambu.
Bamboo is naturally antibacterial and organic, so very healthy for you and your loved ones. So don't buy plastics utensils and plates this Holiday. Buy our wonderful Veneerware line of super sturdy disposable dinner, desert plates and utensils. Need bowls? Check out Bambu's cute colorful mini-me bowls and solid bamboo condiment bowls. What a treat.
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up-cycle your holiday
Clear off a table, grab your tools and start
creating. Don't be afraid...you'll feel like a creative genius
when you are finished with these projects.
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up-cycle your single socks
Follow these 5 simple
steps to make your beautiful candle holder. By the way, these are great
gifts.
1. Wash and dry you glass jar. They can be any type of jar...clear,
colored or even curved (like a Pace Picante sauce jar). Just make sure
the sock will fit around the jar.
2. Clean your single socks. Socks work the best, but you can also use
arms of torn sweaters or anything tubular. If you use furry fabric make
sure it does not cover the mouth of the jar.
3. Slide sock over jar, then fit and place where you want it on the
jar.
4. Grab the left over sock at the bottom and cut straight across near
the bottom of the jar (ex: imagine a ponytail and you grab it and cut
just below the rubber band). Simple.
5. Some socks will cling and hug underneath the jar. If not, then use
tape or hot glue to adhere to the bottom.
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"simple, easy
& unique "
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gift wrap ideas
Decorate your brown recycled paper with cut outs from sponges. Create trees, starts, cirlces or whatever you can create out of a sponge. Use water base, non-toxic paint from your local craft store and stamp a way.
Try some of these gift wrapping ideas by using old sweaters, socks, pants & even jeans. Take a sweater and sow one end of the sleeve and it makes a super cozy gift bag. Use left over strips of fabric or ribbon to tie around your package. Enjoy!
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"make your
presents unique
and decorate
your own
wrapping paper."
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modern paper ornaments
This "Holiday Idea" from Design
Sponge is really easy and they look beautiful. A great way to get
rid of papers scraps, shopping bags, paper party or any paper just taking
up space in the house.
 
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"Recycle
scraps and create whimsical ambiance with modern decor"
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Here's what you will need:
- Various colors of paper or cardstock, cut into 1" x 11" strips. We used 5 colors of cardstock plus silver and
gold gift wrap.
- X-acto blade
- Metal ruler
- Cutting Mat
- Stapler
- Thread or
monofilament for hanging
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Using your X-acto blade and straight edge, cut a few sheets of each color paper into strips that measure 1" wide by 11" long.
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Lay out your color combinations. We used 3 colors per ornament, repeating the middle color on the outside of each one.
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Cut the center strip down to 6" long. The following concentric layers will consist of 2 pieces, each measuring 7", 9" and 11", respectively.
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Make sure the tops of all the strips are flush, and them staple them together. Then line up the bottom edges on the opposite side, so that they are flush, and place a staple on that end.
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We kept it nice and simple, but there are a bunch of different configurations you can do by playing around with the lengths of the strips and different placement of staples. Now just find a favorite spot to hang them.
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thought of the month
Many unwanted gifts end up in storage or even in the garbage, and excess packaging of consumer goods also adds to the waste stream. Make your gift count by making it thoughtful and of benefit to the environment.
Keep it simple. One thoughtful gift is better than many wrapped packages of unwanted gifts.
 Make your own gifts; knit, sew, make preserves, or make art from reused items.
- Look for gifts that are: durable; not over-packaged; energy efficient; wind-up, or use rechargeable batteries; reused (for example, antiques or used bikes); recyclable; and not made of tropical woods like teak, rosewood, or mahogany. Look for gifts that are unpackaged or minimally packaged, without unnecessary plastic wrap or cardboard backing. Buy durable gifts with long-term warranties that are repairable.
- Look for gifts that are made of natural components, like sustainably harvested wood, natural fibers, or glass. When purchasing toys for young children, choose items that won't impact their health. Choose dolls and stuffed animals made of organic cotton, or handcrafted toys made from wood with nontoxic paint.
- Purchase gifts from local vendors, or that were made locally. Look for gifts using fair trade labor practices.
these are a few of my favorite ideas.
- Give a member ship or donate. in the name of a friend to an organization working in a subject area of interest to them.
- Give a gift certificate for your time. child sit, or pet sit. Offer your talents, such as photography, financial planning, or hairstyling. Make dinner for someone or cook and deliver it to them.
- Help someone start a garden.
- Plant a tree in someone's name.
- Give seeds and tools. Help plant, weed, and water.
- Give an experience such as tuition for an unusual class. For kids, consider giving an environmental excursion, like a whale-watching or camping trip.
- Create a recipe book from the favorites you’ve collected.
- Create a photo album. Make a calendar for the coming year using your own photographs.
ecologycenter.com, 2009
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MavoPavo's Charitable Contibution for December
10% of sales will be donated to COHI
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Circle of Health International (COHI) is a non-profit organization which defines its target population as women in crisis, specifically partnering with women surviving conflict and disaster. COHI collaborates with locally based, grassroots organizations when invited into a country context to contribute to women's health programming.
COHI provides teams and individual volunteer practitioners such as OB/GYNs, midwives, trauma specialists, and public health professionals with the opportunity to connect with conflict and disaster affected-women as members of international field teams.
  
COHI conducts assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and ethnographic research initiatives to contribute to the improvement of quality, access, and effectiveness of services. COHI raises money for and with its local partners to encourage their independent financial sustainability and success.
Most importantly, COHI identifies women as leaders in ALL its partner communities and supports them in their goals of peace, health, and security.
Current Projects include Sri Lanka, Loisiana, Tibet, Tansania, Israel/Palestine and the Sudan.
Who benefits from COHI.
Courageous women affected by poverty, war, natural disasters, occupation, and gender-based violence are the women COHI humbly serves. COHI works closely with women from disaster and conflict-affected areas in many different ways. The beneficiaries of COHI's initiatives are intimately involved with all aspects of programming: from conducting needs assessments to determine what focus areas the programming should address, to the hiring of local staff, to leading workshops and training within the scope of project goals, to contacting and reporting to donors, and to conducting the final evaluations.
To read more visit the site...
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