Silver Plate Plant Markers -- with 20% off coupon code!

It's been far too long since I posted about any of the lovely handmade items available on Etsy, but now I can remedy that situation. Heidi of the CambriRae etsy shop has generally offered my blog readers a 20% off coupon (code "20off") which can be used on her lovely silver plate plant markers, Christmas ornaments, and page clips.

Although you should look through all of her beautiful offerings, I personally love the plant markers the best; each is made from vintage silver-plate forks and spoons with letters permanently engraved into the metal. Each marker is $5.00, or only $4.00 with the coupon code. They're perfect for outdoor or windowsill gardens, and as the product description states, they "make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves gardening, is an antique fanatic, enjoys a shabby chic décor, or simply likes to receive unique gifts."

And there's still time to get these for Christmas, at least within the United States. As long as you choose priority mail shipping and order by Sunday night (Dec. 19), you should have these by Thursday (Dec. 23).

And if you've already done your Christmas shopping, keep these in mind for Springtime birthdays and especially Mother's Day!

What: Silver Plate Plant Markers -- with 20% off coupon code!
Where: CambriRae (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $5.00 apiece -- $4.00 with coupon code!

Cat Puzzle Box

Girls -- especially those in the 'tween years and younger -- love puzzle boxes, diaries with locks, and other places to hide thoughts or treasures. For those who are also cat lovers, this puzzle box would be a lovely small gift (and can double as a stocking stuffer due to its 5 x 4 x 2 inch size). It's also nice knowing that the boxes are handmade by HSSS artisans in India. This is a nonprofit organization of underprivileged artisans with educational, training and/or health related issues. Last but not least, this is an eco-friendly gift; according to the Uncommon Goods website, the boxes are made "of sustainable Shisham wood, native to the Indian subcontinent, bought under supervision and quota from the government of India (which sells the wood of dead trees)."

What: Cat Puzzle Box
Where: Uncommon Goods website
How much (as of today's post): $20.00 (plus shipping)

Recycled Keyboard Pencil Cup

I love these pencil cups made from recycled keyboards! Keyboards get thrown away all the time -- I remember years ago when I spilled lemonade into my keyboard at work and was consumed with guilt, and the IT guys said "Don't worry about it! They only cost about $8!"

Which means a zillion of them end of in the landfills.

Well, here's a way to keep a few of them out, in any case. The round keyboard pencil cup measures 3 inches tall by 3.5 inches in diameter, and the square cup measures 3 inches tall by 3.25 inches on each side. Which makes these small enough to fit in a generous-sized stocking.

What: Recycled Keyboard Pencil Cup
Where: Perpetual Kid website
How much (as of today's post): $11.99 (plus shipping)

Reusable Strawberry Shopping Bag

I was so pleased with myself because I pre-scheduled posts for Wednesday through Sunday because I was flying to the east coast for a memorial service. I was to arrive back Sunday night, in plenty of time to cook up a post for Monday to start the new week. US Airways had other plans, however; they stranded me overnight, and I didn't get home until late Monday -- and I was without internet access for what seemed like an eternity.

So no Monday post -- sorry! But now I'm back for our regularly schedule programming, with today's stocking stuffer: a reusable strawberry shopping bag. Look how cute it is when it's tucked into it's little strawberry shape! You wouldn't think a 15 by 15 inch shopping bag would fit in such a small space, but it does. It also looks so nice and springlike. If you know someone who loves to reduce and reuse, but keeps forgetting to take shopping bags with her, here is a cute one she can tuck into her purse to use anytime. It's also a nice eco-option for Mother's Day.

What: Reusable Strawberry Shopping Bag
Where: Perpetual Kid website
How much (as of today's post): $7.49 (plus shipping)

Bamboo Tealight Holders

Happy Earth Day! In honor of this day, here is a nice, eco-friendly stocking stuffer: Bamboo Delights, or tea light holders made of 100% organically grown bamboo. Each holder measures 3 inches long by 2 inches wide, and they come in a set of six for $19.00. You could give them all to one person, or you could give two holders to three recipients, or three holders to two recipients, or even just one apiece to six different people, which would make this a very affordable stocking stuffer. I love their sleek, modern lines.

What: Bamboo Tea Light Holders
Where: Branch website
How much (as of today's post): $19.00 for set of six (plus shipping)

Natural Modeling Dough

Earth Day is almost here, so today's stocking stuffer is eco-friendly: natural modeling dough from Clementine Art. The set includes red (strawberry scented), green (lime), and yellow (lemon), each in a 4 oz recyclable container. They're made of flour, water, salt, and other natural ingredients, and colored with turmeric, carmine, and spinach. There are no chemical dyes or additives, and the dough is recommended for ages 3 and up.

I love that shade of red!

What: Natural Modeling Dough
Where: Clementine Art website
How much (as of today's post): $8.99 (plus shipping)

Organic Bamboo Coasters

Aren't these bamboo coasters lovely? They are made from organically grown bamboo, by a company named Bambu in China. According to the description on the Branch website, "Bambu works only with manufacturing partners who demonstrate a commitment to health and safety, environmental protection and fair labor practices. In turn, Bambu supports and reinforces worker health and safety measures, and funds international third-party auditing procedures." This makes sense, considering that Branch's tagline is "Sustainable Design for Living".

The coasters come in a set of four, and measure 3.75 inches square. I like that they look elegant and natural at the same time.

What: Organic Bamboo Coasters
Where: Branch website
How much (as of today's post): $16.00 (plus shipping)

Handmade Seed Paper Heart Ornament

I love this handmade paper heart ornament that is embedded with Forget-Me-Not seeds! When you're done displaying it, or even restringing it to wear as a necklace on Valentine's Day, you simply soak the ornament in water and then plant it, either indoors or out. The paper is 100% biodegradable and will recycle into the planting soil, and the seeds will germinate in about two weeks. What's not to love?

The ornament itself is 2 7/8 inches high and about 2 2/3 inches at its widest. With the string, it measures about 6 3/8 inches high.

What: Handmade Seed Paper Heart Ornament
Where: Spoon Sisters website
How much (as of today's post): $4.00 (plus shipping)

Paper Paper Clips

It's back to work today, so I move from yesterday's kitchen stocking stuffer to today's office stocking stuffer: a bag of paper paper clips, or paper clips made out of paper. Well, they're 100% sustainable wood pulp, 100% recyclable, and they can be put safely through a paper shredder and recycled with the paper. The pack has 50 clips, and each clip is one inch long and will hold up to 20 sheets of paper. They're bright and colorful too, which is especially nice during the dreary days of winter (not that we have any here in Houston!).

What: Paper Paper Clips
Where: Spoon Sisters website
How much (as of today's post): $6.00 (plus shipping)

Bird Guides of [xyz]

On January 2, my husband and I were treated to a "Breakfast on the Bayou" pontoon boat tour through a bayou here in southeast Texas. While it would have been a bit chilly by some folks' standards, my husband grew up in Manitoba, Canada, and I spent three years living in North Dakota, so believe me when I say that this was nothing, weather-wise! Besides, the cold air and the morning sun made the most unbelievable mist coming off the water.

The best part was that we got to see, up close and personal, many birds that seem exotic to me, having grown up on the East Coast. We saw Roseate Spoonbills, Egrets, Herons, two types of Vultures, Cormorants, and more.

Much later that day (after a nap of course!), we went to Barnes & Noble, and we got a tremendous kick out of consulting a miniature guide to Texas birds, looking up all the species we'd seen that morning. It occurred to me that field guides are likely available in any large bookstore for any part of the world, so look in the regional interest section the next time you're in a bookstore and see what you can find. It's fun to get to know the wildlife of your particular corner of the world, and birds truly are magnificent creatures. This guide to Texas birds shown above is 6 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches, making it the right size for a stocking stuffer, and I'm sure many of the field guides out there for other regions are stocking stuffer sized as well!

(And while I'm at it, I'm going to label this as an eco-friendly post, because the more people know about the creatures we share the world with, the more people are likely to try and take care of that world.)

What: Bird field guides
Where: Amazon or any bookstore
How much (as of today's post): varies (most under $15 or $20)

Rockstar Drink Charms from Vinyl Records

I would normally post these on a luxury Friday due to the price ($28.00 for set of six), but I really really wanted to post an eco-friendly stocking stuffer today because I'm feeling eco-minded right now. These lovely wine charms -- one each of blue, red, black, pink, green, purple, and pink -- are handmade from old vinyl records with stainless steel charm hoops. I love that they're simply made, and don't consist of some cheap metal or plastic charm with a few colored beads, which is what most wine charms consist of these days.

And why am I feeling eco-minded? Because today my husband and I filled two cars worth of paper for recycling, and drove it to a major recycling center across town. You should have seen our two little cars sandwiched between the semi-trailers full of scrap paper! We recycled a total of 380 pounds of paper on this trip. We do this once or twice a year, taking our newspaper, office paper, junk mail, cereal box cardboard, and so on. Whew! You should see how much roomier our garage looks now!

What: Rockstar Drink Charms from Vinyl Records
Where: BTC Elements
How much (as of today's post): $28.00/set of six (plus shipping)

Midwest Seed Bombs

Here's a lovely stocking stuffer for the gardener in your life, or even someone who's not really a gardener but who loves plants. Etsy seller VisuaLingual offers these "seed bombs", consisting of a "bird-, bee- and butterfly-friendly wildflower mixture" that allows you to commit random acts of gardening. See the description for the entire list of seeds in each packet, which were chosen because they are native to Midwest. And many of the seeds are native to most of North America, which means that these make a lovely gift no matter where the recipient lives.

(On an entirely different note, VisuaLingual also offers these wonderful Ohio River coasters, in green and several other colors. I was born in Cleveland myself and still have relatives in Ohio, so I'm partial to these, but they're clever no matter where you come from!)


[Note: I first came across these seed bombs on the Design Public blog.]

What: Midwest Seed Bombs
Where: VisuaLingual (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $6.00 (plus shipping)

Jungle Buddy Blocks

Ack! Today has gotten off to a rocky start -- I had to go three different places to find my voting precinct. (Texas has early voting and for that you can vote in any location, but not so on actual Election Day. Lesson learned!)

So today's blog candy giveaway post will be later than usual -- but it will be today! In the meantime, here's a bonus stocking stuffer to consider: the Jungle Buddy Blocks from OneStepAhead. This little 3½" x 3½" x 2½" wood box holds four blocks that toddlers match first on color, then arrange to form one of six different jungle animals: zebra, giraffe, elephant, monkey, lion, and buffalo. (Wait a minute -- are there buffalo in the jungles?) These are made from eco-friendly rubberwood, so it's a great choice all around.

I remember my older sister had a set with six blocks, showing six different fairy tale illustrations. I wonder is she still has that anywhere....

I'll be back tonight with the stocking stuffer blog candy giveaway post!

What: Jungle Buddy Blocks
Where: OneStepAhead website
How much (as of today's post): $12.95 (plus shipping)

Earth Friendly Jump Ropes

The EcoChoices/EcoToyTown website offers Earth-friendly, non-toxic toys for infants to adults. These eco-friendly jump ropes, made of 100% cotton rope and 100% recycled plastic handles, caught my eye because I recently listened to the audio book of My Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The Secret Garden is one of my childhood favorites, and I love the part where Martha, the Yorkshire maid, gives contrary little Miss Mary a jump rope, and the girl has no idea what to do with it!

And you know, I can't remember the last time I saw a child with a jump rope! It's a great way to promote exercise without being too obvious about it. I think these pastel color choices (pink, purple, and light green) are being aimed at girls, but there's nothing wrong with jump ropes for boys too -- just tell them that Rocky Balboa used one to get in shape for his boxing matches! In any case, they would make a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary stocking stuffer. The product description says they're appropriate for ages five and up.

What: Earth Friendly Jump Ropes
Where: EcoChoices website
How much (as of today's post): $9.95

Pup Cups from Esty Seller "The Lab"

Several of my acquaintances have adopted dogs or puppies recently. With our veritable herd of cats, dogs are currently out of the question for us, but at least I'm able to get my dog fix now and again by visiting friends. Today's Etsy stocking stuffer, perfect for dog lovers, comes from Annie of The Lab shop. These pup cup "sleeves" fit around standard size (15-16 oz.) tin cans, making an eco-friendly holder for pencils, paint brushes, make-up brushes, candy, you name it! Or you can put the sleeve around a glass of the appropriate size and use it for a vase! The result is a holder or vase that looks like it came from an expensive gift shop but that actually costs less than $10.

Each pup cup has a description indicating the type of fabric it's made from. The labs are appliqués that have been cut out by hand and machine-stitched onto the fabric. According to Annie, the edges are "either double folded or have French seams for clean, fray-free edges." I think they're just lovely! And since most dog-related appliqués seem to be of Scotty terriers, it's refreshing to see these labs, which are one of my favorite dog breeds.

Be sure to look through the entire shop, because there's a wide selection of black, yellow, and chocolate labs to choose from. Some are holding flowers in their mouths, others have collars, others are carrying a leash, indicating "please walk me!" There's a wide variety of colors and patterns available, and the shop also has other lab-related merchandise.

What: Pup Cups from Esty Seller "The Lab"
Where: The Lab (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $7.00-$9.00 (plus shipping)

Recycled Cards to Color

Lately I've been exploring the hobby of inkstamping and digital stamping, so I was thrilled to come across this kid-friendly variation that is also eco-friendly! The Stubby Pencil Studio, which has the tagline "Eco Products for Creative Kids", sells recycled cards for kids to color. They have single cards or sets, and I think the valentine cards would be terrific for little ones to color for friends and family. But I was also drawn to the "miscellaneous" cards and sets, because we shouldn't need holidays to send someone we love a card!

My favorite set (no surprise here) was the "Six in Space", which includes an alien, a rocket, a spaceship, a planet, a moon, and a star. I love the bold simple lines, which I think would be perfect for little ones to color. There are many other sets, such as a "Six on the Go" set of vehicles, "Six Little Buddies" (simple animals, shown right), "Six Dinosaurs", and so on. They're all just so appealing! Be sure to click on the various multi-pack sets shown along the left column, or you might miss some!

The cards themselves measure 4.25 by 5.5 inches, so a pack of six should fit in a reasonably sized stocking. This is a great way to encourage your kids to be creative and to retain some communication with family and friends that isn't wired or plugged in! These cards would be especially great for children to send to grandparents who live far away.

What: Recycled Cards to Color
Where: Stubby Pencil Studio
How much (as of today's post): $7.95 for set of six (plus shipping)

Pieces of Nature Matching Games

Because the box dimensions for the Pieces of Nature matching games are 5 by 5 by 1.5 inches (the website doesn't specify the dimensions, but an e-mail to customer service got me a prompt and friendly answer), it may be a tight squeeze to get them into a Christmas stocking, but they're certainly worth the trouble. Each matching game contains 24 animal pairs, and the set is made from soy-based inks on recycled materials. I've shown the polar bears set above left, but you can also choose from pandas, frogs, wolves, and a more general North American wildlife set. The pictures look vivid, and what child (or adult, for that matter!) can resist pandas and polar bears? And matching games also improve memory and visual recognition.

An extra benefit is that these cards will help make children aware of wildlife and the need to protect it before it's too late. Also, purchases go towards funding the organization's conservation activities. Pair that with the eco-friendly materials, and this is a stocking stuffer you can feel good about on all fronts.

What: Pieces of Nature Matching Games
Where: National Wildlife Federation website
How much (as of today's post): $9.99 (plus shipping)

Floppy Bookies from Etsy Seller Contexto

I love gifts and products that take something destined for the landfill and turn it into something with new life. If you're eco-minded as well, here is a perfect stocking stuffer for just about anyone -- but especially for anyone computer-oriented! Ana from the Contexto Etsy shop has taken computer floppy disks and turned them into cute, useful little notebooks, each with 70 pages and seamless metal rings to bind them. The rings allow the pages to be flipped completely around for convenience, and you can even buy refills so the floppy booky can be used for a long time to come!

These little notebooks would also be great for teens, who will probably be astounded that we used to save our computer files on these things.... you know, back when we had to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways!

What: Floppy Bookies
Where: Contexto (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $5.00 (plus shipping)

Stocking Stuffers from Whole Foods

Yesterday I went to Whole Foods. It's easily my favorite grocery store to shop at, but I only get there once or twice a month because the closest one is 25 miles away. In between, I shop at Randall's (Safeway) and Kroger. But it's Whole Foods I love the best, and what a treasure trove it is for unusual and classy stocking stuffers!

One unusual item I saw was Reed's Peanut Butter Ginger Chews. I don't know exactly what they would taste like, but as I've gotten older, I've becoming a lot more willing to try unusual flavors. And they would certainly be a departure from the usual Hershey's Kisses!

Another fun item I saw was the Truffle Pig line of chocolate bars from a company in Vancouver called Hagensborg. Each flavor has a different little pig character adorning the wrapper. (I have a friend who collects pig figurines and such, so I always have my "pig radar" on when I'm shopping!)

For the little ones, and for a slightly healthier option, there's the Barbara's Bakery brand Snackimals animal crackers. They're made with organic grains, and there's even a wheat-free oatmeal version for those with wheat allergies. The other flavors include chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and vanilla.

What else can you find at Whole Foods that might work for a stocking stuffer? The store I visit always has an interesting selection of handmade and hand-cut marshmallows, exotic teas and coffees, eco-friendly baby items such as little booties, the Burt's Bees line, and unusual sauces and toppings, such as the Fischer-Wieser Raspberry Chipotle sauce that I featured in one of my earliest posts on this blog.

I also know that Whole Foods has a reputation for being pricey, and as such has been given the nickname Whole Paycheck. I tend to think this is unfounded. A lot of their products do cost a bit more because they are organic or free-trade or otherwise environmentally conscious. However, I've noticed that the prices for the same organic products (Horizon Organic Milk, the Muir Glen line, etc.) are often higher at Randall's and Kroger's than they are at Whole Foods. If you do have a Whole Foods nearby, I urge you to check it out.

Hand-Knit Hand Puppets

Here's a luxury stocking stuffer you can feel good about giving: a hand-knit, eco-friendly hand puppet made by a collective of knitters in rural Kenya. The collective is associated with the East Africa Hub, a "non-profit organization comprised of socially responsible businesses that provide a link between artisans and the marketplace." The puppets are made of natural wool yarn treated with natural vegetable-based dyes. My favorite is the zebra -- or wait, maybe the elephant! -- but you can also find a dog, a lion, a leopard, and monkey.

I love the natural look of these puppets, and just think how cute they would look peeking out of the top of a Christmas stocking! And don't forget the best thing of all: puppets are something that encourage interactive, imaginative play.

What: Hand-Knit Zebra Hand Puppet
Where: Branch website
How much (as of today's post): $22.00 (plus shipping)