19 Creative Christmas Decoration Ideas to Try this Season

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1. Green Christmas Decorating – Can you Reuse from Previous Years?

Take a look at the decorations you already have. Do you really need to shop for anything new? Maybe those stockings still look beautiful and those Christmas tree décor will do its job fine. And if at all you really need to buy some décor pieces, check out secondhand shops like Goodwill where you will find lots of vintage and gently used holiday décor. Also, don’t forget to donate items that you have become tired of someone will treasure them!

2. If you don’t want to shop how about natural Christmas ornaments? 

Want a creative Christmas decoration? Take a look at this DIY to make dried fruit ornaments.

3. Christmas Decoration Ideas: Use LED Candles

When it comes to warm winter ambiance, there is nothing like a flickering candle. But, for those who are eco-conscious, there is an alternative that is eco-friendly, safer, and looks similar-LED candles. They are lightweight, reusable, and made from real wax. In fact, they flicker in the same way like real candles-only without smoke, flame, and messy wax. The best thing about LED candles is that they are sustainable as they last much longer, unlike regular candles, which quickly burn down to an end.

4. Visit your Favorite Online Christmas Decoration Ideas Shops:

Check out local craft shops, holiday bazaars or online stores like Etsy and eBay to find something handmade that fits your purpose. We love these Etsy ideas for your Christmas party or just to give to guests.

15 Christmas Tree Decorations Ideas from our Favorite Blogger Friends

1. A Colorful Christmas Tree
2. No Sew Christmas Tree Skirt
3. Star Wars Droid Christmas Tree
4. Designer Dollar Store Christmas Tree
5. Book Page & Bakers Twine Garland
6. Migonis Christmas Home Tour
7. Christmas Tree Memories
8. Michaels Dream Tree Challenge
9. Scrap Ribbon Ornaments
10. Pinecone Owl Ornaments
11. Coastal Inspired Christmas Tree
12. How to Dry Orange Slices
13. DIY Ruffle Tree Skirt
14. Gone Camping Ornaments
15. Wine Cork Christmas Tree Ornaments

To go green this Christmas, you don’t have to compromise your Christmas décor, just be a little more careful about the items that you use to make your home sparkle.

For more Christmas decoration ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Typically, sunflowers are very easy to grow. They require minimal maintenance. You just need to sow the seeds in your garden, sprinkle some amount of water every day and thin the sunflower seedlings as they start to sprout. But sunflowers differ in their varieties. Knowing which variety fits you provides additional reasons to awaken your garden with gorgeous yellow throughout the spring and summer.

Gardening Tips: Choosing The Right Sunflower To Grow

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The Farmers Almanac gives you a good overview of how to grow sunflowers too!

Here are some tips on choosing the right sunflower to grow in your garden:

Varieties of Sunflowers: Teddy bear, Elf or Junior

This sunflower variety is great for a garden with limited space. This type doesn’t require too much space as they are typically smaller than any sunflower variety.

Sunflower Gardening: Solar Flare

This is a dazzling flame-type sunflower. The vibrant colors of this type will truly dazzle and impress anyone who can see it. You can get sunflower seedlings and seeds here.

For Sunflower Gardening books, look at these helpful resources:

How to Grow Sunflowers

Sunflower Gardening Book

Two of the Harlows or Lemon Queen

If you want to see multi-branching sunflower type, this is your best choice. This type is also good for homes with limited garden space.

How to Grow Strawberry Blonde Hybrid Sunflowers

If you aim for uniqueness, this is it! The Strawberry Blonde Hybrid is considered as the first rose-pink sunflower. Now, isn’t that unique? This type is exceptional in beauty and rarity.

Chianti Hybrid

This is another hybrid sunflower variety. It is not your typical yellow sunflower. The Chianti Hybrid sunflower an eye-catching wine-red velvet petals with spotted gold. These are gorgeous for decorating your home or for giving in a lush bouquet.

Try looking at sunflower gardening inspiration before growing your own.

Sunflower Gardening: Fantasia Mix

Make your fantasy come to display with this extraordinary array of flower colors. This type provides a fancy look in your garden.

When it comes to your home garden, you don’t settle for anything less. Plant your sunflower of choice and see how it electrifies the beauty of your garden.

For more gardening tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Whether you are decorating your budget garden with decor or you are trying to keep your gardening herbs and plants beautiful, there are tips that can help. Your garden can be beautified with recycled decoration, and your actual plants can use these green tips to ensure it thrives during the season.

How to Maintain your Budget Garden this Season

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Here are effective landscaping ideas to help your garden efforts:

Cheap Garden Pots Save Money:

One of the best ways to organize your plants in the garden is to place them in pots. Instead of buying commercial pots, recycle your empty cans, containers or jars. You can use empty milk cans, coffee containers, noodle cups, cracked jars and many other materials you can use as a flower pot. You can wrap it with colorful foils if you want to cover the brand name and have them arranged in different colors. Try these helpful budget garden ideas for saving water with your plants.

Budget Gardening Starts with your Own Compost:

Making garden compost is not that difficult to do. An effective compost heap can be done through a mixture of most organic waste in your kitchen. It can be a mixture of vegetables, egg shells, coffee grounds, food scraps, and vegetables. Mix it up with your garden soil and use it as a fertilizer. This is a great alternative to commercial fertilizer and saves a lot on your gardening budget.

Cheap Landscaping Ideas: Remove grass and weeds

This is quite a simple yet effective way to save water consumption. Grass and weeds can create competition in terms of water absorption with your plants in the garden. Other than water consumption, grass and weeds can acquire nutrients from the soil intended for your plants. Try these cheap landscaping ideas to beautify your outdoor home.

Being green with your garden is not only a budget-saving practice but also a satisfying means to help our environment. Always remember to reuse, reduce and recycle! Your garden is where you enjoy beautiful blooms, delicious scents, and a refuge from the everyday world. Use these ideas to bring decoration to your outdoor home and eco-friendly tips to your garden practices.

Looking for another budget gardening tip?

Try a pallet garden!

For more outdoor home ideas on Stagetecture, visit our gardening tips archives.

Summer Weddings: Eco-Friendly Decor Tips

Image Via: Eluxe Magazine

Choose An Eco-Friendly Location

It all starts with ‘Where’? Do you have a country farmhouse? Does one of your aunts or uncles have one? Arrange your wedding amongst that farm setup. Summer weddings are anyways suited to the outdoors, so why not make it exclusive by organizing it at a countryside farm, amidst nature. Match your decor up to the farm setting and bring in burnt sienna hued rustic elements for that very chic countryside feel.

Image Via: The Perfect Palette

Use Flowers From The Backyard

Instead of importing exotic flowers from far away locations, why not home grow a few in your backyard. Do not underestimate the homegrown beauties! Summers, as it is present you with numerous home grown flower options. You can carve out delicate bouquets, make gorgeous flower arrangements and even use homegrown flowers for decorating your wedding setup.

Image Via: The Natural Wedding Company

An Organic Menu

Whilst at it why not introduce green and organic food into your summer wedding. Check out the local farmer markets beforehand and prepare a menu that gives the local farmers a reason to cheer too. Garden fresh veggies, organic dairy products, select local fruits etc can help you whip an interesting organic menu.

Image Via: Style Me Pretty

Use Your Moms Wedding Dress

Recycle and reuse is the mantra for going Eco-friendly. Using your moms dress and revamping it into something that goes with today’s fashion is a great way to kickstart Eco-friendly wedding endeavors. Use laces, flowers, beads etc to embellish the dress. Not only will you do a favor to mother earth but you will also keep the family sentiments intact by doing it.

Image Via: Etsy

Recycle And Reuse

Be it wedding cards, table place cards, wedding favor wrappers or anything else, you can use recycled paper to craft these out. Local stores offer a variety of options for recycled paper and believe me it doesn’t have to be dull and drab just because it is recycled!

Eco-friendly weddings are the next big in thing as more and more people are understanding the importance of conserving nature. Summer weddings provide ample opportunity to hold an Eco-friendly wedding in terms of location options, decor options and menu options. So let this summer wedding of yours be blessed by mother nature herself. Do share your ideas for Eco-friendly weddings.

Click here for more ideas for Summer Weddings on Stagetecture!

Eco-friendly Gift Ideas for Father’s Day

Spa baskets

Who said that shower baskets are for mothers only? Dads will too love a pampering gift put together by you and filled with green products. Put an organic men’s shaving and body bar in the basket and pair it with a re-usable shaving razor. To gift him a little luxury in his life, add soy candles, organic body moisturizers, bath salts, loofahs, and a cotton or bamboo bathrobe. To complete the basket, include some organic chocolates, his favorite book or a magazine to read while he soaks. Try looking through Etsy’s best selling Father’s Day gift ideas.

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Green gadgets

If your dad is a gadget lover this Father’s Day gift him what he loves. The only exception being a gadget that’s also good for the Mother Nature. For instance, if your father is fond of traveling, you can get him a backpack that uses solar energy to charge handheld devices like iPods and smartphones. Alternatively, you can update his PC with an eco-friendly and biodegradable keyboard and mouse set. You could even go one bigger and buy him a new eco-friendly electrical good to replace a current one. This website sells organic light emitting televisions (OLEDs) that are more energy efficient than regular TVs.

Order him personalized tools on Etsy

Leisure Outdoor Gifts

Does your father take great pride in his garden or the yard? If so, why not surprise him with a way to enjoy his leisure time in the yard? If he loves to work out in the yard, consider for battery operated lawn mowers that are cost-efficient and less harmful for the environment than the usual gas mowers. Or consider a hammock fabricated from sustainable materials. We love these Father’s Day gift ideas from Real Simple.

Make a donation  

Instead of a materialistic Father’s Day gift, make a donation in his name to an environmental organization such as a national park or a local botanical garden. If you dad likes to live green, he will certainly appreciate this out of the box gift.

Here are some eco-friendly Father’s Day gift ideas that are not only thoughtful and considerate but also promote socially responsible and environment-friendly practices. Let us know if you have more interesting ideas to add to the list?

How to Improve Your Home with House Water Filtration

Image via: Kitchen Depot

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In some instances, this water is not typically healthier or cleaner, and is just filtered tap water.

If you are an eco-conscious consumer looking to have pure filtered water that tastes great, you can remove any concerns of the quality of your tap water by using a water treatment system that removes contaminants.

Whole house water filters reduce the number of foreign elements and chlorine in your water and makes the water you drink, shower in, cook and wash clothes in odor-free and healthier.

If you are thinking about eliminating the expense of buying bottled water every week, here are the important benefits of using a total water filter, instead of using tap or bottled water.

How will water filtration help your home?

One ton of plastic bottles can produce 3 tons of CO2 or Carbon dioxide, which is a major source of climate change. And 80% of bottles that don’t get recycled end up in landfills, or in the ocean where they can harm fish and other sea creatures.

Installing a water filter, instead of using bottled water, makes a substantial improvement on the environment and our oceans.

Image via: Home Sense

How easy is a water filter to install?

You can purchase a home water filter online and in home improvement and plumbing supply stores.

Also, if you are comfortable with installing modifications to your pipes and valves, you can install this water filter yourself. Attach the whole house filter next to your water meter, where your house’s water line comes inside the home.

Some models offer a tiny storage tank to give you an uninterrupted and fresh supply of water.

What type of maintenance is required for a water filter?

For a home water filter, the product is generally covered under a warranty for half a million gallons of water or for 10 years. Several companies, however, sell self-cleaning filters that help to minimize the maintenance of the product.

If you are looking to save your cash, a filtered water product helps you save money on your bottled water habit. Replacement filters for pitchers and faucets are $20 to $30 for up to 100 gallons for water.  While whole-house filters are the cheapest per gallon with less than a penny per gallon or $40 for 6,000 gallons of water.

For more wellness and kitchen and bath topics on Stagetecture, click here.

Wellness: Adopting A Green Kitchen Lifestyle

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Choosing Cookware

There is nothing healthier and safer than an iron skillet to cook your meals in. Stainless steel is another good option. The ones to avoid are teflon coated non-stick cookware as it is known to emit toxic substances on heating. Non-stick cookware that has scratches is another hazardous cookware to use. Anyways, if you come to think of it, a solid iron skillet will last much longer than your non-stick cookware. Not to forget that it will be lighter on your pocket, initially and eventually too.

Image Via: Dwelling

Energy Star Rated Appliances

Energy Star rated appliances save big time on energy. Energy Star appliances such as a dishwasher can reduce your water output drastically, even lesser than what you use by hand washing utensils. The same goes for refrigerators, stoves etc. Talking of fridges incidentally, try and not place the fruits in the fridge, as they will rot much faster because of the trapped gasses in there.

Image Via: Torie Jayne

Energy Saving While Cooking

Use pots and pans that fit your burner heads. Smaller pots on bigger burners waste a lot of energy. Also use lids while cooking food. It will help the food cook faster and save a lot of energy. Pressure cookers are another great way of saving energy and time. The best of all practices would be to eat fresh fruits and salads that require no cooking whatsoever

Image Via: Innermost Cabinets

Buy Local Produce

Buy food that is grown locally and help reduce the carbon footprint. Not only will it give your local industry a boost but also ensure that you have fresh produce. So go explore the local markets or better still purchase directly from the farmers. A home grown kitchen garden isn’t a bad choice either.

Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies

Buy cleaning supplies that are non-toxic, biodegradable and plant-based. Petrochemical based cleaning agents aren’t very eco-friendly. Better still, explore DIY options like vinegar, baking soda etc. and make your own cleaning agents at home.

Consider Revamping Your Kitchen

If you are wanted to restyle your kitchen, consider using recyclable materials like salvaged wood. From glass based countertops to bamboo and cork flooring there are numerous green options for homeowners to follow. Also try and make sure that the wood that you use comes from sustainable plantations.

Image Via: Peter Salerno Inc

Besides these a few green kitchen habits like using cloth napkins instead of paper ones, covering the pots and pans while cooking, using glass containers, turning off the appliance mains after use etc can lead to healthier greener lifestyle changes. Try and shop in bulk to reduce your trips to the market, use home grown veggies and use grandmas tips and tricks at home to be free and safe from chemical exposure. It would be great to hear from you on what green kitchen habits you follow at your home. Do write to us.

Click here for more Green Living Ideas on Stagetecture!

Tips for Planning an Eco-friendly Wedding

Image via: Story Board Wedding

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Eco-friendly Wedding Invitations

The easiest way to go green is through the invites. While e-invites seem to be the most eco-friendly option, you can always opt for invitations made of handmade or recycled paper. Also, request your guests to RSVP online and consider skipping the printed directions. A better option is to create a wedding website and send your guests the web url for all the details.

Image via: Color 911 App

Opt for a Centrally Located Venue  

As transportation is the huge source of carbon emissions, the idea here is to cut down on the usage of fuel. Choose a venue that is easily accessible by most of your guests and does both the wedding and the reception. Moreover, let your guests know that you would appreciate if they can arrive at the ceremony by train, bus, or carpool.

Image via: Wedding Love

Organic Menu

Check with your caterers if they can provide organic and vegetarian cuisine. Also, find out what would you be dining on. If the dishes are not included, consider renting them in order to avoid using disposable plates.

Re-use a Wedding Dress

 Image via: BHG

When it comes to a wedding dress there are many ways you can be eco-friendly. First is of course the age old tradition of wearing your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding gown. Alternatively, you can check out vintage stores for recycle or once-worn dresses. However, if you must put on a brand new dress, look for a seamstress or a designer who uses sustainable fabrics such as silk, hemp, or cotton.

Overall, planning an eco-friendly wedding does not mean that you should sacrifice your style or sanity. It only means simplifying things and opting for alternate options. Even if you include a few green wedding details, you are doing your bit!

For more wedding ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Home Improvement: Energy Saving Tips for the Cold

Image Via: Crisp Architects

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Thick Curtains & Sunlight

Sounds ironical! Doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t! What I mean to say is that one must let in lots of sun during the day and then trap the heat for the evening. Heavy curtains can help you achieve this  as they prevent heat loss through the windows and help in energy saving. If you do not wish to invest in new curtains, you can just add a layer of thermal lining to your existing curtains.  Also using curtains in door openings in addition to the windows can help a lot to trap the heat in. By the way, rugs also form very interesting door layers!

Image Via: Musso Design Group

Double Glazing

Double glazing is perhaps one of the most energy efficient ways to winterize your home. It can be expensive but is very effective in keeping the heat in. One cheap DIY technique involves sticking a film with the help of a double sided tape on your existing windows. Of course, it prevents you from opening the windows without taking off the film but who wants to open the windows in winters anyway!

Image Via: Merricks

Air Draught Excluders

Little air draughts from here and there can undo all your house warming efforts. Seal the window gaps using special sealant tapes, use keyhole covers for the little holes in the doors and use innovative ‘door snakes’ to keep the rooms warm. You will be amazed at how much heat loss you can prevent and the amount of energy saving you can do by filling in these small holes and gaps.

Image Via: Adrienne Chinn Design

Floor Layering

Adding layers has long been an effective way to trap in the warmth. We do that all the time with our clothing too! That thin layer of trapped air in between two layers of coverings can work wonders. It works great especially with the floors. Rugs and carpets were made to do just that – Keep your feet cosy in the cold winter months and by the way keep the room warmer too.

Image Via: AMW Design Studio

Prevent Chimney Leaks

Your fireplace might be keeping you warm when in use but it is bringing in the cold outside air when not in use. The colder air is heavier and finds a way into your home via the chimney vents. Chimney balloons are a very effective way of preventing cold air from coming inside but you have to be very careful about taking them off when wanting to use your fireplace. Another effective way is to install fireplace shutters that prevent the cold air from barging in.

Image Via: Elizabeth Dinkel

Winterizing your home means keeping your home warm using energy saving techniques and home decor ideas. Besides the ones mentioned above there are a few more that can come in handy. Simple ideas like keeping your furniture away from vents, keeping unused rooms locked during winters, using tin foil behind the radiators, changing your ceiling fan settings to winter settings etc can contribute in a big way. It would be nice to hear from you, as to how you winterize your home!

Click here for more Energy Saving Tips for your home.

Green Kitchen Ideas- Choosing Sustainable Materials

 Image Via: Photo By Eric Ferguson, Carpentry By Black& Sons Furniture Makers

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The Right Countertops

Countertops take a major brunt of cooking. Be it cutting and chopping vegetables or just keeping washed vegetables on them, countertops are sure to come in very close contact with the food you eat in one way or the other. Hence, it becomes very important that the countertop comes from an environment friendly source. Granite, a favorite with homeowners, is known to emit radon and certain cement bases that hold in terrazzo or recycled glass are not very health friendly too. When going the eco-friendly way remember to make queries about the adhesives involved in counter installation and avoid the ones with a formaldehyde base. Consider options that are easy to clean and maintenance free. Non-toxic, formaldehyde free composite boards made out of sunflower seeds and wheat can be a good choice. Bamboo, recycled wood, Paperstone, bio-glass and stainless steel are some great alternatives that are low on maintenance and sustainable in nature.

Image Via: Brennan+Company Architects

Green Cabinets Ideas

Kitchen cabinetry is usually composed of particle boards, MDF boards or ply, all of them being rich in formaldehyde based adhesives which gives out very subtle vapors of formaldehyde. These fumes usually die down in an year or two. So, in case you plan to redo your kitchen cabinetry, try and use the same wood as it is now free of toxic smell. The cabinets can in fact be brought to life using a coat of paint and they will be as good as new. Reclaimed wood cabinetry is one of the most environment friendly alternative you can use. When going in for new cabinetry try using materials that have non formaldehyde adhesives. As far as the paints and stains go, using VOC free ones or completely non VOC ones.

Image Via: New Woodworks Fine Woodworking

Environmentally Friendly Flooring

Flooring takes a lot of rough usage with us constantly walking and kids running all the time. The good news is that there are eco friendly options that can take a lot of misuse and look equally pretty. Yes you guessed it right, I am talking about cork flooring. Cork, available in many colors and designs is a perfect flooring choice for kitchens as it is environment friendly, does not emit anything toxic,  is super comfy to walk on and is rather gorgeous to look at. Bamboo flooring too can be a great choice if it does not use formaldehyde based glues. Natural Linoleum, is another eco friendly alternatively.

Image Via: RoehrSchmitt Architecture

Cooking Green: Containers & Utensils

Finally its your pots and pans that you cook your meal in, your stove that lights the flame, your chopping board that aids cutting and your containers that store food. So how can these be ignored!

Image Via: Ecofriend

It would be wise to stop using plastic, be it for storing or heating food. Shift to glass or ceramic containers instead, since these are BPA free. Your non stick cookware, though allows minimum usage of oil, still contains PTFE and PFOA which can be potentially harmful for your health. Try using stainless steel and iron cookware. If using non-stick cookware, cook on low heat as low heat releases less toxic substances. Also hand wash your nonstick cookware avoiding any scratches or scrapes on the surface. Once your nonstick has scratches and scrapes you should discard it. Switch to wooden chopping boards in your kitchen and do not forget to disinfect them with vinegar and hot water after use.

When using gas stoves, ensure a blue flame while cooking and ascertain that your chimney vent opens in the outdoors.

Instead of switching to chemicals for cleaning your kitchen, try your grandma’s tips and tricks. A vinegar and water spray is a very effective cleaning agent and can be used to remove even hardened stains. Lemon juice works well against grease and tarnish and a salt water mix can do wonders too.

Image via: Homes

Choosing to go green is a healthier way of living. Recyclable and repurposed items can come to great use and produce very nice aesthetics too. So when you decide to revamp your old kitchen or make a new one, ensuring a few things as small as better ways to cook and store and bigger things like chemical free permanent kitchen fixtures will go a long way to enhance your families health.

It would be great to hear from you, how you have adopted a greener lifestyle in your kitchen.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.