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Posts from the ‘Sustainability’ Category

Oct 14

how-to-coffee-grinds

How To: Reuse Coffee Grounds

how to coffee grinds; How To: Reuse Coffee Grounds

If you or anyone in your family is as big a coffee drinker as I am, then you’re in luck because there’s much more to coffee beans than a morning pick-me-up.  Stop throwing out your coffee grinds and put them to use with one or more of these resourceful ideas:

  • First, coffee grinds are a great soil for your garden.  Wait until they cool off, then spread them on top or mix in with the soil around all of your plants.
  • Still looking for a skin and hair treatment that won’t burn a hole in your pocket?  Coffee grinds are a great exfoliant and conditioner; massage your face and wet hair with the grinds to leave your skin and locks looking radiant.
  • Your pet’s fur could also use a coffee grind treatment.  A plus: it’s known to help get rid of fleas, too.
  • Unpleasant smell every time you open the fridge?  Coffee grinds work like baking soda; just put a cup in the fridge and it absorbs the smell.
  • There’s a lot of mess on you and your kitchen after preparing a huge meal; rub coffee grounds together or on surfaces to help get rid of the tough mess.
  • Boil a pot of water and seep the coffee grounds to make a brown die to use on fabrics or cover up wood scratches.

Sep 30

cardstyle-how-to-jewelry

How To: Be Stylishly Eco-friendly

cardstyle how to jewelry; How To: Be Stylishly Eco friendly Being eco-friendly isn’t as hard as it may seem.  You don’t have to save the rainforest to help the cause, just take advantage of all of the eco-friendly items around and help make them part of your lifestyle.  One way is to accessorize in an earth-friendly way.  Look for recycled and vintage jewelry, normally these pieces are higher craftsmanship and last longer than your typical piece.  Another tip is to opt for pearls, they are farmed using aquaculture, a less damaging technique than land mining.  Also, support small producers and buy your jewelry from local artisans, not only will your piece be one of a kind, but you’ll be working towards  a more sustainable world at the same time.

Sep 22

cardstyle-find-water-bottle2

Cardstyle Find #43: Aluminum Water Bottle

cardstyle find water bottle2; Cardstyle Find #43: Aluminum Water BottleToday, even drinking water can be stylish and environmentally friendly with these cute new aluminum water bottles.  The designs change seasonally so there are plenty to choose from; my favorite is a sunflower one I found over the summer.  Find one that suits your style, too, at Pottery Barn!

Apr 22

island

Celebrating Earth Day

Earth Day is a great opportunity to realize how important it is to maintain our gorgeous planet. For information about different events in your area or ways you can help celebrate this special day, visit Earth Day’s official website.

In the meantime, everyone can certainly start thinking of ways in which to contribute to sustainability efforts. From changing to CFL bulbs, turning off and unplugging electronic devices at night, using both sides of the paper, getting a reusable water bottle, and shortening shower time, everyone can easily make a difference. For more of these tips, along with instructions for carrying them out, visit this great blog post at Simple Mom.

Green is one of our favorite colors at Cardstore.com! We’ve worked hard to ensure our products are not only stylish, but also eco-conscious. We’re concerned about minimizing our impact to the earth. From using 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and eco-friendly digital printing, to maintaining FSC certified printing facilities and partnering with carbonfund.org to offset our carbon footprint, we do our part to protect the environment. Read more about our sustainability efforts here.

You can thank the Earth, along with family and friends for any occasion by sending one of these gorgeous and eco-friendly thank you cards from Cardstore.com. To inspire some Earth-saving efforts, here are some stunning pictures of our planet. Happy Earth Day from Cardstore.com!

Dec 15

inthemedia-boho-11

Cardstore.com in Boho Magazine

We’re thrilled that a few of Cardstore.com’s Apiary Design holiday cards were featured in the winter issue of Boho Magazine.  The new magazine has quickly become one of our favorites, as they focus on two of our favorite things, style and sustainability!  Not to mention, they have impeccable taste in greeting cards (but we might be a bit biased on that last point).
inthemedia boho 11; Cardstore.com in Boho Magazine

Oct 23

Photo via Cardstore.com

Cardstore.com’s Best Of: Halloween

We’ve scoured the web for our favorite Halloween things.  From DIY projects to spooky videos, our list is sure to get you in the Halloween Spirit!

Best Halloween Party Theme: Hostess with the Mostess ‘Playful Mod Halloween Party’
We loved this fresh approach to Halloween.  Skip the usual ghosts and goblins and adding googly eyes to orange and green cups and planters with a healthy dose of spiders sprinkled around to add a little flair.  Click here to find out more details on how to throw your own ‘Mod Halloween Party’.

mod halloween party 300x205; Cardstore.coms Best Of: Halloween

Photo Via Hostess With The Mostess Blog

Best Halloween Video: Michael Jackson’s Thriller
It may have been awhile, but it’s the perfect season to remember why he’s still the King of Pop. Click here to view the video, and be sure to pay attention to those dance moves. What a perfect group dance to get the party started (anyone remember Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30?).

thriller 300x195; Cardstore.coms Best Of: Halloween

Photo via Journalstar.com

Best Pre-Trick-or-Treating Snack: Mad Scientist Wraps from Better Homes and Gardens
Fill their bellies with healthy (and cute) Mad Scientists Wraps before the candy gorging begins. These are easy to make and almost too cute to eat! Click here for the recipe.

mad scientist; Cardstore.coms Best Of: Halloween

Photo via Better Homes and Gardens

Best Pooch Costume: Sarah Palin from Wiggles Wigs for Dogs
She’s baaaaack.  But this time, you might want to call her Sarah Paw-lin.  Click here to find out how to dress up your pooch as your favorite SNL, I mean, political character.

sarah palin 300x289; Cardstore.coms Best Of: Halloween

Photo via Wiggles Wigs for Dogs

Best Halloween Photo Card: Boo Frame Card from Cardstore.com
It wouldn’t be a holiday at our office if cards weren’t involved.  And this one is perfect to show off that brilliant costume you’ve been working on!  Click here to create a Halloween photo card to send to friends and family.

card halloween 300x210; Cardstore.coms Best Of: Halloween

Photo via Cardstore.com

Best Candy Alternative: Halloween Bubbles from Oriental Trading Company
This year, skip the candy and give out a sugar-free treat.  Bubbles are fun for kids of all ages, and these are sure to make any trick-or-treater smile.  Click here to purchase.

bubbles; Cardstore.coms Best Of: Halloween

Photo via Oriental Trading Company

Best Halloween Cocktail: Black Devil Martini from Fineliving.com
This drink is so attractive, you’ll want to serve it all year round.  And with only 4 ingredients, there’s no reason not to!

halloween cocktail black devil martini d; Cardstore.coms Best Of: Halloween

Photo Via Fineliving.com

Best Kid’s Costume Made from Grocery Bags: Paper Bag Cowboy from Martha Stewart Living
Only Martha Stewart could make a cool costume from a mop and brown paper grocery bags.  This costume is not only easy, but also green!  Click here for instructions.

paper bag costume; Cardstore.coms Best Of: Halloween

Photo Via Martha Stewart

This list brought to you by Cardstore.com, where you can customize all your photo cards and holiday cards.

Oct 9

felt-packaging

Eco-Friendly Tip: Gift Wrap

Always on the lookout for creative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle, I was awe-struck by this felt gift wrap recently seen in the fab blog Oh So Beautiful Paper.  These reusable felt wraps are made to look like mailing envelopes, complete with plastic sleeves to insert addresses or notes. They are made by Small Adventure and are large enough to accommodate books, stationery sets, journals…The lucky recipient can then reuse the envelope as wrapping for another gift!  Adorably crafty, clever and earth-friendly!

Aug 19

checkered-sandwich-wrap

It’s a Wrap

I am a big fan of bringing lunch to work, but I hate using plastic baggies as they’re not a very green product.  I’ve tried to use tupperware as much as possible, however sandwiches are a tight squeeze in even my flattest containers.  But Liberty at Designing Moms wrote about a practical, not to mention stylish, eco-friendly solution.  She has been using Wrap-N-Mats and is a huge fan!  The line offers reusable sandwich wrappers and snack pouches that are easy to wash and come in cool patterns that will appeal to kids and adults.  What a perfect find during the back to school season!

Jul 27

Image via Papercrave

Turning Fashion Magazines into Stylish Green Gifts

At Cardstore.com, we do our part to keep our lifestyles as green as possible.  But we do have our indulgences (like printed fashion magazines) that are hard to give up.  So our ‘green sensors’ went off when Papercrave highlighted these chic bowls from Luckyou. They’re made from recycled magazines and many of them are assembled by women in townships of Capetown, South Africa.  Stylish, female empowering and eco-friendly, a perfect trifecta in our book!

lucky you3 bowl 300x224; Turning Fashion Magazines into Stylish Green Gifts

Image via Papercrave