8 Plastic Free Artificial Christmas Trees

Christmas ornaments are my favorite part of the holiday! Every ornament on our tree tells a story. Some are handmade; others commemorate a trip or event. I always find myself staring at that tree of memories (not at the gifts under it) throughout the holiday season. It makes me smile.

Unfortunately, the yearly Green Christmas Tree Controversy does not make me smile. It makes me surly because it's a no win argument largely based on preference.

• Real trees are a fire hazard dripping in pesticides that might be better served living outside and photosynthesizing their little hearts out. 

• Fake trees can contain PVC and will never break down if chucked in a landfill. 

When it comes right down to it; neither a real tree nor a fake reusable tree is green because you are adding one more object that does not serve any real practical purpose to your house. That's how Grinchy this "controversy" makes me because one of my favorite parts of the holiday is our sentimental Christmas ornament collection.

While both types of trees have their good points and bad points, I don’t think having either type of Christmas tree in your house is like gathering around glowing plutonium. Although to be on the safe side, do not lick either type of Christmas tree cause, you know, possible pesticides or PVC.

To be even more truthy with you, I’m Team Fake Tree. I favor reusables over disposables, both Blitzkrieg and I have pollen allergies that make a real tree not so fun for us, and a fake tree allows me to break with Danish tradition and put my tree up right after Thanksgiving instead of on Christmas Eve.  

I realize many of you like the reusable aspect of an artificial Christmas tree but hate the thought of bringing new plastic into your home. I can help you out with that. I did untold hours of looking at Christmas decorations because I enjoy looking at Christmas decorations hard, hands on research to find a slew of  plastic free Christmas trees.
 
8 Plastic Free Reusable Christmas Trees 

Genuine Aluminum Christmas Tree - My little retro loving heart wants an aluminum Christmas tree like the one both sets of my grandparents had so bad. The only problem is you cannot put lights on it. If you do and there’s a short in your lights, the metal tree conducts electricity – zap! You just electrocuted Santa and shot straight to the top of The Naughty List.

 

Silver Iced Novelty Decorative Artificial Christmas Twig Tree - This tree might be more your speed if the thought of sorting and assembling all of the branches of a large aluminum tree crumbles your cookies, which is another reason why I don't have an aluminum Christmas tree. Boo.

 

This White Twig Christmas Tree - works well if the traditional pine tree isn’t your thing while still allowing you to hang ornaments from its metal branches.

Pewter Decorative Ornament Display Tree - screams Solstice to me I don’t know why. Maybe because it resembles the bare tree in my front yard.

 

Ornament Display Tree - allows you to put the focus on the ornaments and not the tree. I can see using one to display nothing but cherished kid created ornaments.
 

This 7 foot Gold Metal Tree - may be more your style if you want a full size ornament stand type of tree over the table top model.

Feather Tree and Stand If metal isn’t your thing, how about feathers?! For a more old timey Christmas you can’t beat this hand wrapped goose feather tree and iron tree stand. This tree begs for homemade ornaments!

If a Christmas tree and a Truffala tree had a baby it would be the Kurt S. Adler 4-Foot Shaggy Tree – Bring a little retro whimsy to your celebration with this funky bright green metallic tree. This kooky guy is my favorite of the bunch!

 

Once you made your choice, extend the life of your Christmas tree by:

• Shop mindfully for your preferred type of Christmas tree.

• Take care of it for as long as it is in your possession.

• Dispose of it mindfully

What type of tree do you have? Real or fake?

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I Organized My Office!

Clutter makes me cranky. Which made it easy to pick a project when Apartment Guide asked me to participate in their Holiday Home Organization Blogger Challenge.  I was sitting at it.

 Before: Clutter Central!

Apartment Guide gave me a budget of $150 dollars for my project. I spent a chunk of the budget on repainting and repairing a thrift store wood filing cabinet to replace the flimsy little guy in the office. Good call on that one because the drawer front snapped off when I opened the drawer on the old cabinet to clean it out for the last time. I can't tell you how happy I was when I chucked that baby into the city recycling bin!

After: Clean and Organized!

More Martha Stewart Christmas Paint Crafts Than I Can Count!

Hello friends! Have I got a treat for you!

Are you ready for a little holiday craft eye candy? Eye candy is the best type of candy, because it's nonfatting and won't rot your teeth. 

Santa (in the form of the UPS driver) delivered a slew of Martha Stewart craft paint, stencils, and supplies to  a bunch of my crafty and DIY bloggy friends too! I used my supplies to make a stenciled snowflake bottlecap bracelet. 

 

We've been Facebooking, Tweeting, Pinning, and sharing our crafty holiday projects amongst ourselves. Then Rhonda, one of the gals at Dollar Store Crafts gets smart and generous and creates a linky of our projects so we can share them with you!

Does Twitter Hate Green Moms?

Twitter suspended the Shorty Award winning @Greenmoms Carnival Twitter account. We don’t know why and Twitter isn’t telling. Will you help @Greenmoms and our over 70,000 followers get our Twitter account reinstated?

A Little Background on @Greenmoms on Twitter and The Green Moms Carnival

In 2008, Lynn of  Organic Mania gathered a diverse group of green bloggers and suggested we host a monthly blog carnival on a specific green topic like the Green Pet Blog Carnival I hosted on Condo Blues in October for Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.

Not every member of The Green Moms Carnival has the same green focus or way we do things and we like that way! Some of us (like me) are not Moms to humans. However, what we all have in common is trying to live the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and in my case, Remake) way the best we know how and are eager to share our hits and our misses with all of you.

Lisa from Condo Blues, Anna from GreenTalk, Miceala from Mindful Momma, Sommer from Green and Clean Mom, Amy from Crunchy Domestic Goddess, and Beth of Fake Plastic Fish.

Photo courtesy of Crunchy Domestic Godddess.

Handy Ma’am Apron

I love spending quality time with my tools. I don’t always love being covered from head to toe in sawdust from those tools. If only there were a way to prevent that.

They have something for that. It’s called an apron.

I made this!

6 Reusable Christmas Countdown Advent Calendars

As I eagerly endured the days before Christmas as a kid, I wanted mark off the days on a Christmas countdown Advent calendar.

My mother never went for it.

Now I understand why. Most advent calendars reveal candy or a trinket each day the child crosses a date off the calendar. In a household with more than one kid, one Advent calendar can lead to squabbling.

One solution is to buy one countdown calendar for each kid. However, that doubles the amount of work filling it and the kids get more trinkets and candy during one of already gift and treat laden times of the year. I'm not anti- extra candy treats. I'm anti - kids on a month long sugar high and driving everyone else  crazy extra extra candy treats. 80/20 Rule, remember?

My solution is use an Advent calendar that focuses on the countdown instead of prizes each day.  I like these countdown calendars better because you can reuse them year after year with little effort.

6 Reusable Christmas Countdown Advent Calendars Your Kids Won’t Fight Over

Trash to Treasure Filing Cabinet

I am the reason we do not have nice things.


 I rebuilt and made over this thrift store filing cabinet after breaking the old one too many times.

Why? Because I snapped the plastic, handle off this filing cabinet drawer almost as soon as we got it home.

Uncle Bob?

My Green DIY Diva powers came to the rescue! I spiffed up a set of sturdy second hand cabinet handles with paint, attached them to the drawer fronts, and Bob’s your uncle. 

• A little later a drawer broke; Husband kvetched we need a less flimsy cabinet. I fixed the drawer.

• A year later the bottom drawer broke, Husband kvetched we need a less flimsy cabinet. I fixed the drawer.

• A few months after that the top drawer broke, Husband kvetched we need a less flimsy cabinet. I fixed the drawer.

A drawer broke again. I agreed. We need a less flimsy filing cabinet.

Holiday Home Organization Blogger Challenge and Giveaway

The public areas of our home are generally neat and tidy. The Condo Blues World Headquarters and Thunderdome is not the neat and organized space it should be. Our filing cabinet is woefully inadequate to keep things from exploding onto my desk. I need to get a handle on this because in that pile of papers are blog business receipts and paperwork I need to organize for my taxes in January.

Now that I've embarrassed myself by showing you my messy desk, I HAVE to clean it up.

The office gets a little worse when it comes time to decorate for December because I need a place to stash my current décor for a month to make room for the holiday stuff. My temporary (as in several years running) solution is to shut the door to the office and not let visitors in.

Make a Stenciled Bottlecap Bracelet

Husband gave me The Look. The bottlecap basket in the kitchen is overflowing again. “Are you ever going to make jewelry out of those caps you make me save?” he sighed.

I guess that time is now.

I’ve been putting off any number of painted bottle cap projects because I don’t like my decorative painting skill - or lack thereof. Every so often I stop by Michaels and drool over the new Martha Stewart Crafts paint and stencils by Plaid. Maybe stencils can help me with my craft paintaphobia? 

One of the things I like about Martha’s craft paints is that it works on wood, metal, ceramic/glass, and fabric unlike traditional craft paint. This cuts down on the number and type of paints I have to buy and store in my tiny house. I need a variety of paint types since I work with a variety of recycled materials.   

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday.

I shed my little girl sawdust and paint splattered armor.

I put on a confident and frilly woman’s dress. 

My Garage Door Opener Might Be the Death of Me

My garage door opener is a fickle minx. When I press the wall button or the remote, I’m not sure what I’m going to get. Most of the time the garage door opener opens and closes the door, as it should. But take that for granted (as I did the night of our burglary) and the door will go down and pop back up. My favorite trick is after checking the batteries in the remote, a press of the button makes the light blink and the door stays open. The taunting blinking light always happens during a rainstorm or when I am in a hurry.

I spend a good chunk of time checking the garage door sensors for obstructions (rare), readjusting the garage door opener controls with the change of the seasons, and keeping the remotes fed with fresh batteries.

A slight turn with a screwdriver is all it takes to make the adjustment

Our burglary was the last straw. I didn’t watch the door to make sure it closed completely. The door popped back up and stayed open all night. That’s how the robbers got into the house while we slept.

Husband and I discussed our options:

Garage Workshop Transformation: Insulate the Garage Door

After I put Insulate the Garage on the Garage Workshop punch list, I realized we’d lose heat through the garage door if we didn’t replace it with a new insulated garage door.

Then I fell over at the price of insulated garage doors.

I wondered if I could save myself a truck full of money and the hassle of installing a new garage door and disposing of the old one ethically by insulated my current garage door.

Turns out you can. Whew!

I looked at garage door insulation options.

DIY Edison Lights

Husband and I spent an evening at Brothers Drake Meadery.  I looked up as we tasted the wonderful locally brewed mead and saw these.

oooo industrial!

Make Solar Milk Jug Ghosts for Halloween

The rechargeable batteries in the solar garden lights I repainted last summer heaved their last breath. 

While I am searching for outdoor rechargeable batteries,  I need something to light the way for the Trick or Treaters.

Luminaries are simple and festive. However, I don’t want to with traditional candles in case the kids accidentally walk into them. Husband says lighting your neighbor’s children on fire is rude. What-ever.

10 Handmade Halloween Costumes for Adults

I am ALL about the costume on Halloween. I don't decorate the house much because I'm usually working on costumes. I start thinking about my costume a least a month or two in advance. I want my costume to be something clever or different or just plain crazy - hopefully all three. Last Halloween's Little Edie from Gray Gardens costume fits the bill. It was super easy to make too. Yay for easy!

 

/

STAUNCH!

"Easy for you Lisa," you say, "You know how to sew. I can't sew. I can't make a Halloween costume. I'm just gonna to buy one at the pop up Halloween shop."

Stop right there! You do not need to know how to sew to make a great Halloween costume! Last Halloween I went to a party. I saw tons of clever homemade costumes. Some were home sewn but most, like the Little Edie costume I made were not.

Nine No or Low Sew Halloween Costumes for Adults

Green Moms Carnival: Green Pet Edition!

Welcome to the Green Pet edition of the Green Moms Carnival! October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month as well as National Pet Wellness Month. I thought of no better way to celebrate than to ask my wonderful friends to share their stories about greening their pets.

Before we start, I want to introduce my guest editor and the inspiration for today’s carnival, my one eyed rescue Pekingese Blitzkrieg!

Hello everyone! I realize Lisa saying I am the guest editor is trite blogging device.

I humor her because she pays me in dog treats to pose for blog photos. 

Since it’s National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, let kick off the carnival with…

Make Pumpkins out of Trash!

When life gives Scott Stoll trash, he recycles it – into amazing Halloween pumpkin and monster decorations! Can you believe Scott makes all of these creative creations from paper mache?!

Photo courtesy of Stolloween 

 

I am Designing My Bathroom Around a Faucet

My new bathroom faucet!

I reorganized the guest bathroom vanity. I like it a bit better. It is allowed to stay in my house. I'm still not excited that my sink and faucet looks exactly like every other bathroom in my neighborhood. I need to do something about that.

I haven't decided what or if I should revamp the vanity or the sink. Knowing me, reworking the vanity/sink will likely snowball into a remodel I’m not quite ready to put on my punch list.

I have no idea what I want in those areas anyway. Except for the bathroom faucet.

Recycled Glass Bottle Windows

Husband and I spent a day at the Ohio Renaissance Festival. It gives me a chance to share with you my all time favorite window idea in the essential oils shop.

They used old bottles to make stained glass windows.

 The glass bottle windows look even better when I took photos without a flash.

How to Buy a Roof

One of the reasons we bought a new build condo is so we wouldn’t have to worry about making home repairs to make it move in ready. In fact, we had a guarantee that the builder would make repairs or fixes on to our home for the first year.

Except the roof. 

Which Hurricane Ike damaged.

And we had to replace.

Less than a year after putting it on the new house.

Being innocent doe eyed homeowners, all we thought we needed was to do was call the insurance company, get someone to slap a few new shingles on the roof, cash the insurance check, pay the guy, and call it a day.  

Ha, ha, ha. Silly doe eyed homeowners.

Recycled Front Porch and Garden Renovation Reveal !

Husband and I worked on this project all spring and summer. It is finished! I am ready to reveal my summer recycled front yard vegetable garden and Power of Paint Porch renovation project!

  Finished!

I didn’t expect this to be our big summer project. Things snowballed after Husband and I made it a priority to plant something in the front yard.   This remodel is an example of Slow Decorating. We did each project bit by bit over a year and several months. It is a cash only project.

Four Recycled Bathroom Organizers

Trying to find anything stored in the guest bathroom vanity takes longer than it should because it lacks drawers.

A typical plain Jane builder's vanity

I’m on the hunt for a vintage dresser to repurpose into a bathroom vanity.    

In an attempt to make it livable until I find a suitable replacement, I turned my attention to cleaning out and organizing the guest room vanity.

HGTV Design Star Finale: We Have a Winner!

This week the designers shot a design show pilot. At this point in the game, it’s almost a formality based on past camera challenges and judges comments.

In typical Design Star finale fashion, the Final 2 received help from the eliminated designers. Fortunately, unlike in seasons past, this year only four of the best team players Leslie, Mark, Kevin (Welcome back Sassy!), and Kellie came back to help Meg and Karl instead of the whole crew.

Karl chooses Mark and Sassy for his team. Meg chooses Leslie and Kellie for her team. It is Boys against Girls!

What Type of Sewing Machine Do You Have? Do You Like It?

At 39 years old, my Kenmore sewing machine has seen and sewn it all. My mom bought it in 1972. Mom put many miles on her. Bessie sewed curtains for my childhood bedrooms, countless Halloween costumes, and Barbie clothes. Mom sewed color guard uniforms, flags, and more high school musical costumes than I can count before, during, and after I graduated high school.

Everyone say hi to Bessie!

Why do I call her Bessie? Because when the machine acted up mom yelled, “Come on Bessie!” as she sewed and the machine snapped back in line. Bessie is a safer thing to say around little kid ears (mine) than saying what you really want to say when you are frustrated with things not going your way during a project.

Mom gave me Bessie after she got a new sewing machine. I put many miles on Bessie too. Under my roof, we sewed blankets and toys for Blitzkrieg, Christmas gifts, curtains, slipcovers, reupholstered furniture, and repurposed more things than I can count. Bessie and I designed costumes and historical clothing too. Bessie is Mommy’s Little Moneymaker when it comes to building costumes.

HGTV Design Star: Tiny House Challenge

This week the designers designed a whole house in two days. Fortunately, a house is the same size as a playhouse. Those teeny tiny houses are so adorable I want one in my teeny tiny backyard.

If there was any challenge the designers had to bring it, it is this one. Meg knocked her camera challenges out of the park per usual. Karl is coming into his own on the camera challenges. I loved the comment about not wanting to roll out of the loft bed and into the sink. Mark sealed his fate with his trip up on the first camera challenge although his second was as personable as we know him to be. 

Side note: was there an unofficial requirement for the designers to hang animal antlers in their houses? I think all three of them had them. For some reason, Karl and Mark’s antler art reminds me of a Jackelope.

 Jackelops are real because they are on the Internet. Look it up.

Photo courtesy of Animal Picture Archive

Does Your Dog Eat Natural Dog Food?

I am careful about the type of food I eat. I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, palm kernel oil, high sugar and high fat content in my food based upon the health issues I see developing in the older members of our family. I figure if we follow this kind of diet now, Husband and I won’t have those health problems until we’re 90.

I like it here.

 I am even more meticulous about Blitzkrieg’s food than my own. Dog food is not regulated like human food. Oh sure, there are pet food guidelines but those are merely suggestions.  There is nothing to stop a dog food company from using rancid people food to make dog food. In fact many, but not all, dog food companies do.

To avoid this, I buy the natural brands of dog food. The brands that are corn and wheat free and use human grade food ingredients even though they are more expensive. Blitzkrieg’s health improved dramatically once we educated ourselves about dog food production and made buying a whole food ingredient dog food a priority.

Make an Outdoor Rug

Our accidental front yard organic farm gets compliments from family and neighbors

It’s funny because other than making a raised garden bed and transplanting plants we already had, Husband and I didn’t expect the front garden and porch to be my summer project. Funny how projects snowball, eh?

 Pin this post for later!

How Busy People Exetreme Coupon for Healthy Food

Now that I have a sorta extreme couponing system, I'm pretty lazy about devoting a zillion hours to couponing for healthy food.

Scratch that. I never devoted a zillion hours to couponing to begin with and I still end up saving around 50% on my purchases.

Just as before I started my couponing experiment, I continue to buy healthy food and products for my family.

Another reason I don't spend a lot time of on couponing and deal searching is there are many products I don't use or buy due to ingredients. My family tries to avoid high fat, high sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils in our food. I buy and cook with ingredient type foods, not junk food, or prepared foods. That reduces my coupon clipping and deal finding. However, I'm still able to reduce my grocery bill by 50%.

Remake a Coir Doormat with Paint

When the going gets tough, I need a project. It has to be something quick, relatively cheap, and oh if it could be green, that would be the triptych of yippie!

I stubbed my toe on my next spruce up. Once upon a time, this 100% coir doormat from World Market said, “Welcome.”

Now it says, “Don’t bother.”

The Power of Spray Paint in the Garden

My front yard farm is starting to look like a real garden! The beans, winter squash, and cucumbers are quickly climbing the tepee trellises I built. So far, my covert front yard vegetable garden looks like flowering vines and plants.

Update 8/11/11 1:15 PM: Our Property Manager (AKA The Queen of No) told me she likes my yard and it looks very nice during her monthly drive by. She thought my rain barrel rock was a garden doodad - whew!

It would be nice to see the flowering vines and plants when we sit on the porch at night though.

Once upon a time, my solar garden lights were copper until they faded into a hide in the garage color.

On the bright side, I bought the orange flowers for $2.00 at the Restore. 

They were donated from a garden show. Woot!