Open

Meet twogreenchickens.etsy.com. Tracy and I are finally doing something useful with our *enthusiasm* for thrifting and hunting for vintage treasures and opening a little shop on etsy. We hope to add a few things regularly and eventually add goods made out of vintage supplies. We hope you will have a meander around and let us know what you think.

Sukie Stationery

I've noticed these really great Rescued Paper Note Books in a couple of stores around Los Angeles - The Reform School and Firefly. Made from discarded paper, you can write on the reverse of the printed pages.



They are made by British husband and wife team Sukie. You can read an interview with them over on Fred Flare.

Green Giving :: For the Kids

Looking to reduce the impact of the holidays on our wallets - and on our planet - we are making a concerted effort this year to rethink our gift giving strategy. With the kids, we have not completely outlawed the idea of buying something off their wish lists, but are also looking at alternatives. Handmade, secondhand, local and experiential gifts will all be found under the tree (and in the stockings) this year.

My eldest daughter is a passionate writer - documenting our every move in her self-defined "Realistic Fiction" style. ("I know it didn't happen that way Mom, but it could have!") For her, I found a manual typewriter on ebay - under $30 with shipping! Not too shabby. And cute to boot. (It even types in - gasp! - cursive!)



I have included a new ribbon, and a stack of blank 100% recycled paper. As her story sharing has spread to numerous letters to her Grammee and her friend on the other side of the city, I also plan to include some unbleached recycled envelopes and a packet of (much coveted) stamps.

Green Giving :: For the Kids

cross-posted at sewgreen

December has arrived, and Advent has begun in our house. The countdown to Christmas is a tradition brought from my own childhood where we would be rewarded daily with a new picture to discover behind the flap of a paper Advent calendar. In an effort to minimize "stuff" - and inspired by Stephanie - we made a move to a homemade "experiential" calendar a couple of years back, where every night would bring us a new activity. Build a Fort. Take a Walk to look at the neighborhood lights. Have breakfast for dinner. Write letters to Santa. Lie in the backyard and look at the stars. We tucked these ideas, written down on paper, into numbered miniature stockings I made out of felt and hung by the chimney with care.

There are many great ideas for handmade advent calendars to be found. A few from flickr:

1. first, 2. advent calendar, 3. Baby sock advent calendar..., 4. Advent garland, 5. Advent calendar for the boy, 6. advento, 7. advento, 8. stockings 1234, 9. Advent calendar, 10. advent calendar, 11. stockings_1234, 12. advent calendar


and more at the Creative Advent Calendars group.


And this great pattern over at the Purl Bee.





Another source of holiday inspiration, the New American Dream website is chalk-full of ideas. I find myself rereading many of the articles this time of year. A good start here.