gifts

Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Gift Giving This Season

December 5, 2011 at 10:05 am , by Lauren Piro

’Tis the season for, well, tons of stuff. Department store circulars crowd our mailboxes (and coupon codes flood our e-mail), the new totally-bigger-than-last-year’s TVs jut dangerously out of car trunks, and gift closets overflow with trinkets for the people you didn’t think to buy for anyway, but “shoot!” those neighborly jerks just brought over bottle of your favorite wine.

Ugh. There has to be a way to feel at least a little better about all of this.

I’m into the “going green” lifestyle, and I like to be pretty discerning about what I put in and on my body and around my home (case in point, after moving into my first grown-up New York City apartment this week, my Seventh Generation cleaning products, Dr. Bronner’s all-in-one soap and BPA-free water bottle were among the first things I unpacked). And because I care about how I live, if I’m going to add to my loved ones ever-growing inventory of stuff yet again this December, it would be great to give gifts with at least some earth-friendly redeeming qualities.

The folks at Origins, a beauty line that promotes its natural ingredients, agree, so they teamed up with eco-tastemakers to lend some easy, green ideas we can all try this holiday season. Their first video, with best-selling novelist Emily Giffin and eco-minded event planner April Trigg, offer the coolest green gifts you can give this year, many of which are made from awesome recycled or reclaimed materials. I especially love the salvaged tin ceiling photo frames April found—they’re perfect for your shabby chic sister.

Watch the video below for the rest of her picks (and get her handy where-to-buy-it list here) and head over to Origins.com with the special code GOODTOGLOW for a surprise at checkout. Want more tips on how to make your holiday a little more green? New videos will arrive each week on Origin’s Facebook page, including eco-chic holiday fashion with designer Vivienne Tam and green holiday decor with interior designer Robin Wilson.

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Finding Just The Right Gift

November 30, 2010 at 3:08 pm , by Sue Erneta

I’m moving in a couple of weeks so I’ve been very busy digging in the backs of every closet in my house to edit, purge, organize and pack. And purge I have! (Check out the Goodwill in Springfield, New Jersey for the 16 bags of stuff I brought in on Sunday. And that was just what went last weekend!) Of course, there were things in the closets that I forgot I had. I’ll blame poor organization. But the vast majority of those items in the backs of every closet in my house are unwanted gifts. Okay haters — go ahead and say that I’m ungrateful but honestly it makes me sad when someone spends their time and/or money on something that I have no use for. My mom — one of the best gift givers in the world — is rolling her eyes reading this right now. Because for 38 years, she has tried to surprise me with great gifts. (Example of her gift-giving talents: A photo taken right after the 1969 Mets won their first World Series, signed by all the players. She picked that one up for my hubby in May 2006 and hid it until Christmas. Tears were shed.) But for me, she gave up awhile ago. Was it the typed Christmas list with all the J. Crew style numbers that gave me away? Or maybe it was when she saw how happy I was when I got just what I wanted.

At this time of year, we’re all flocking to stores and websites to buy tons of gifts. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that the recipient is getting exactly what they want. You don’t want your gift collecting dust in the back of their closet, do you? That’s why I’m totally loving Kenneth Cole’s Wish List. It’s a website (and iphone/ipad app) where you can select exactly what you want and just casually send the link to your loved ones. And it’s not just Kenneth Cole merchandise. You could pick a gift card to Starbucks, an iPad, a kimodo dragon, a loft apartment in Tribeca, Ping golf clubs, Jenga, an Aston Martin, a donation to AmFar, a Turducken, a lifetime supply of Nutella, MAC mascara, an original Andy Warhol or even World Peace. (Hey, it’s a “wish” list so why not?)

In case anyone I love is reading this, feel free to check out my wish list here. (I promise I would never donate the Maserati you gave me to Goodwill!) So, what do you want for Christmas?

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Do Good: Celebrate Green Gift Monday

November 29, 2010 at 11:16 am , by Amanda Wolfe

We’re loving this movement, spearheaded by The Nature Conservancy. If you’re planning to score some great Cyber Monday deals (like the cool stuff Chelsea just posted, below), check out this list of eco-friendly presents and ideas. It’s a great way to grab some amazing presents and do good for the Earth too. Nice!

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Welcome To Our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway!

November 15, 2010 at 6:01 am , by Ladies' Lounge

This year we decided to get a huge gift for you, our awesome readers: We’re giving away every single product in our 2010 LHJ.com Gift Guide. Yep, you read that right! One lucky winner will score everything from one of our 8 categories. Click each image below to enter to win that mega-prize. Good luck, and a very happy holidays to you from all of us here at the Ladies’ Lounge!

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Gift Guide Giveaway: Win These Fashion & Beauty Gifts

November 15, 2010 at 6:00 am , by Ladies' Lounge

Give a little pampering and holiday sparkle to the stylish ladies in your life (or the gals who need a bit of an update… hint, hint).  One lucky reader will score all of these lovely fashion and beauty gifts. Want to know more about each item? Check out our Stylish Gift Guide.

Enter to win by posting a brief comment below telling us why you’d like to win one of the holiday gift packages. Comments must be posted by 11:59 ET on Monday, December 20. We will randomly select one winner. Read the full rules here. Good luck!

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Gift Guide Giveaway: Win These Last-Minute Gifts!

November 15, 2010 at 6:00 am , by Ladies' Lounge

Yes we realize that it’s a bit silly to give away—in advance—our suggestions for last-minute gifts. But there’s some really good stuff here, and we didn’t want you to miss out on another prize package of fun holiday prezzies. So one lucky reader is going to score all of these great gifts—there’s something here to dole out to everyone on your list (include yourself, of course!).

Enter to win by posting a brief comment below telling us why you’d like to win one of the holiday gift packages. Comments must be posted by 11:59 ET on Monday, December 20. We will randomly select one winner. Read the full rules here. Good luck!

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Gift Guide Giveaway: Win These Crafty & Handmade Gifts!

November 15, 2010 at 6:00 am , by Ladies' Lounge

These gifts will appeal to the crafty ladies and the lovers of cute handmade goodness alike. We love the ideas of supporting artisans and small businesses with our holiday shopping—and the gifts are so totally unique and special! One lucky reader will win all of the handmade and crafty gifts here. Read more about each prize in our Crafty Gift Guide.

Enter to win by posting a brief comment below telling us why you’d like to win one of the holiday gift packages. Comments must be posted by 11:59 ET on Monday, December 20. We will randomly select one winner. Read the full rules here. Good luck!

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