Thinking back on my own wedding, I recall all the ways we tried to personalize the occasion.  You know, make sure our wedding was different from any other wedding in the history of the world!  Yes, wedding planning can make anyone crazy.  Anyhoo, the alarms went off.  Duh, Stephanie – labels!  Favors, invitations, seating cards, gift baskets, table numbers, candy buffets, thank you cards – there are a million and one uses for labels (or stickers if you prefer) at a wedding.  Need proof?  Check out this collage (all photos courtesy of theknot.com):

What about you?  Any brides (or grooms) out there that would like to share how they have personalized their special day?  If I receive enough responses, I’d love to feature them in an upcoming post.  Don’t be shy!

Happy Fall everyone.  Oh, and go Bears (2-1)!

You have finished your (late) spring cleaning and staring back at you is a pile of junk: broken items, clothing that no longer fits, empty paint and aerosol cans,old shoes – the list goes on and on. You might not know it, but among this garbage could be quite a number of recyclable and reusable gems.

Real Simple recently issued a handy list of common items and whether or not these items can be recycled or reused. I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting a few that caught my eye. You can peruse the list in its entirety here.

Crayons: Send them to the National Crayon Recycle Program (crazycrayons.com), which melts down crayons and reforms them into new ones. Leave the wrappers on: “When you have black, blue, and purple crayons together without wrappers, it’s hard to tell them apart,” says the program’s founder, LuAnn Foty, a.k.a. the Crazy Crayon Lady.

Eyeglasses: Plastic frames can’t be recycled, but metal ones can. Just drop them into the scrap-metal bin. However, given the millions of people who need glasses but can’t afford them, your frames, broken or not, will go to better use if you donate them to neweyesfortheneedy.com (sunglasses and plastic frames in good condition can also be donated). Or drop off old pairs of glasses at LensCrafters, Target Optical, or other participating stores and doctors’ offices, which will send them to givethegiftofsight.org.

Juice bags: Because most are a combination of a plastic polymer and aluminum, these are not recyclable. But TerraCycle will donate 2 cents for each Honest Kids, Capri Sun, and Kool-Aid Drink pouch and 1 cent for any other brand you collect and send in to the charity of your choice. The organization provides free shipping, too. What does TerraCycle do with all those pouches? Turns them into colorful purses, totes, and pencil cases that are sold at Target and Walgreens stores throughout the country. To get started, go to terracycle.net.

Much like my cardboard tube post, what else can you do with bubble wrap?  I mean, besides using it for its intended purpose.  And popping.  Google, here I come…

Who knew there was a market for bubble wrap wedding dresses?

Sealed Air Corporation (creators of BubbleWrap (c)) have an entire website devoted to bubble wrap goodness: bubblewrapfun.com.  There is even a ’1001 Uses’ widget.  I got use #60: Build a lighter than air kite.

This, however, is now on my ‘want list.’  A bubble wrap calendar?  Sign me up!

Now it’s your turn.  Do you have a bubble wrap addiction?  Can you think of other uses (practical AND ridiculous)?  Have you ever worn an outfit constructed from bubble wrap?  Fill up that comments section!

Cardboard Tube

Don’t be fooled by its plain and boring appearance.  The cardboard tube can be reused in a multitude of ways.

+Around the Home and Office+

• Electrical Cords: Keep your your computer wire organized! Cut it slit alongside the tube, insert all those cords inside the tube and tape it closed.
• Plants: Slit up the side of a toilet paper tube and use it as a collar when you plant tomatoes, peppers, etc. to keep cutworms from reaching your plants. Bonus!  Cardboard tubes are biodegradable so there is no need to dig the collars up once your plants are established and thriving.
• Gift Box: Perfect for small gifts!  Just put the gift inside the tube and wrap it in reused gift paper (magazine pages, newspaper, paper bags, whatever you want!).
• Hangers: Once again, just slice the tube on one side then place over the sides of a wire hanger.  Prevents those dreaded “shoulder bumps.”  Toilet paper rolls work great on kid-sized hangers.

+Craft Time+

• Favor Box: Perfect for a shower or kids birthday party.  Just place your favors inside the tube then wrap it up.  Extra points for reusing old gift wrap and ribbon.
• Ornament: Cut the tube into 1/4″ and 1/2″ sections.  Decorate with paint, glitter, felt, etc.  Tie a string around the ornament and hang it.
• Bird Feeders: Use a hole punch and punch out two holes about an inch from one end of the tube, one directly across from the other.  Cover the tube in peanut butter then roll it in bird seed.  Slide some heavy duty string through the holes.  Hang your bird feeder outside a window or from a tree.
• Wreaths: Cut the tube(s) into 1/2″ sections.  Glue these sections together so that they form a circle.  Decorate however you wish then hang your new wreath on your front door.

+Kids Stuff+

• Make a Castle/Rocket Ship/Space Station/Etc.:  Create buildings, people, machines even animals with an assortment of tubes.  Decorate with paint, crayons, felt, pipe cleaners, paper – whatever you have on hand.  Your imagination is the only thing limiting you.  A perfect rainy day activity.
• Kaleidoscope: Using double-sided tape, sprinkle confetti over plastic wrap.  Place the plastic wrap over one end of the tube (with the confetti in the middle) and hold in place with a rubber band.  Decorate the tube however you wish.
• Binoculars: Glue to tubes together (preferably the same size).  You are now ready to go on a safari, a secret mission or bird watching.
• Megaphone: Put the tube to your mouth and you are ready to go.

+Other Uses+

• Exercise: Nursing homes use cardboard tubes for physical therapy.  Contact your nearest center to see if they would like a donation.
• Fire Starter: Fill with dryer lint, shredded paper, and other scraps.  Fold the ends in and roll in melted wax.  Add a piece of rolled paper or thin strip of cotton cloth for a wick.

Alright, now it is your turn.  How else can these discarded paper towel/toilet paper/wrapping paper tubes be reused?  Leave your ideas in the comments section.  I’ll write a followup entry with the highlights.  Thanks!

+ Purchase recycled school supplies when you can, like 100% recycled pencils or notebooks.

+ For college students, purchased used text books if they are available in your campus bookstore.  You can also check sites like half.com and amazon.com for your text books.  Many campus are testing out electronic textbooks through programs like iTunes U.

+ Instead of driving your kids to school, look into carpooling or “walkpooling” with other neighborhood families.  Bicycling is another greener alternative.  And don’t forget, there is always the reliable school bus!

+ Rather than using a brown paper bag filled with sandwich bags and pre-packaged snacks, use a reusable lunchbox and food containers.  For a funky look, check garage sales and thrift stores for vintage lunch boxes.  Lunchbox kits are also available, complete with cloth napkins and containers for munchies and a beverage.  Be creative!

Check to see if your school offers a recycling program.  And don’t forget, unplug any electronics you are not using.  Even when they are off, these devices still draw energy from the outlet.

Can you think of any other tips that would make your back-to-school routine more earth friendly and energy efficient?  Leave them in the comments section!

Wow, it’s August already. It is hard to believe that half of summer has already sped by us. If you find yourself scrambling to fit in a weekend road trip or family vacation before autumn descends upon us, here are a few suggestions to help keep your travels green.

(tips courtesy of http://tinyurl.com/naj3vf Sebrina Smith @LiteGreen)

Keep A Recycling Bin In Your Car – Our cars, especially while on a driving vacation, can become littered with old water bottles, soda cans and papers that are just rolling around on the floorboard. They could be recycled, but haven’t made it to the bin. Take time to convert your car into your own “on-the-go recycling center.” All you really need is a handy tub, a cardboard box or even a plastic or paper grocery bag to catch your recyclable cast-offs. It doesn’t need to be a big production. All you need is a container – and a moment – to toss and store those discarded “roadies” for later recycling. Bring it back home, sort and recycle there. That way, your community still gets the benefit of the dollars that come in from the sale of recyclables.

Bring Your Own Bottle – Because let’s face it, the best way to recycle is to use less from the beginning. A reusable water bottle made of metal, glass or even plastic will use less water to fill each time than a traditional pre-filled plastic bottle. It produces no waste since you don’t throw it away and you’ll be saving the $1.25 each for the glorified tap water that other less-informed individuals might be drinking.

Get On A Plane – One good thing about bringing your own water bottle. Plane travel. Yes, plane travel. In this day and age of take-off-your-shoes and no liquids, a personal water bottle is a godsend. Empty it before you go through security, then refill at the nearest water fountain. Voila!

Cooler Anyone? – Another great idea, especially if your going to the beach or a sporting event, is to use an old fashioned thermos. They come in all sizes, small enough for one or big enough to hydrate an entire football team. Fill it with ice and the beverage of your choice, pair with reuseable, unbreakable cups and you’re all set.

Find A Spot To Drop It Off – Most wayside rest areas, national parks and gas stations have recycling bins these days. If you don’t see a bin, ask. Most people will be happy to help you find what you’re looking for. Then it’s easy enough to drop off some recycling when you fill up your tank or tour the sights.

And if you’re lucky enough to be near a Whole Foods Market that has a GreenOps Tracking Station, you can recycle your stuff and get rewards on Greenopolis at the same time. (Full disclosure: GreenOps is the physical component of Greenopolis.com).

Call Ahead – If you’re not sure about recycling at a specific destination, call ahead. Many hotels and restaurants now recycle. For instance, Monterey, CA has successfully launched the Blue-to-Blue program in their community. It provides blue recycling bins free of charge to local hotels and restaurants. To see if your destination has a similar program, check out EcoTourism.org or GreenSeal.org or call the local Chamber of Commerce.

In my never ending search through the wilderness that is the Internet (thanks Google Alerts!), I discovered SustainLane.com. More specifically, an article written by Linda A. discussing greener and healthier household cleaners. Did you know that with just four simple ingredients, you can replace that stash of cleaners under the kitchen sink?

Making your own cleaning products not only saves money, reduces the amount of debris sent to landfills and prevents chemicals from draining into rivers and streams, it can also be fun. Just think of yourself as a mad scientist in your lab (muh ha ha ha!).

Anyways, with these four ingredients – lemon juice, distilled white vinegar, baking soda and Borax – you can create a whole line of products that will let you tackle any household chore.

All purpose cleaner: Add 4 tablespoons baking soda to 1 quart warm water in a bucket. You can also try just baking soda on a damp sponge. It is slightly gritty and works well on a stove top.

Glass cleaner: Mix 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray on a cloth or wad of newspaper to use.

Rug deodorizer: Sprinkle baking soda directly on rug, wait 15 minutes and vacuum.

Pet urine stain remover: Mix a solution of half water and half white vinegar. Soak into stained area and work into stain with a brush. Let dry.

Fabric softener: Add 1/4 cup of baking soda or white vinegar to wash cycle.

Drain cleaner: First remove all hair and other built-up particles. Add 1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1/2 cup vinegar, cover and wait a few minutes. Follow with some boiling water.

Toilet bowl cleaner: Scrub with a paste of borax and lemon juice. Let sit as long as possible (2 hours is ideal). This removes stains and makes your toilet bowl fresh.

(http://tinyurl.com/n5ps7t, follow blogger Linda A. at http://tippecanoegreen.blogspot.com/, too!)

Production. Inventory. Shipping. Handling. Retail Labels.  Blank labels.  Sheet labels.  Fluorescent labels.  Funny labels.  Environmentally sound labels.  We can even help you create custom labels with your unique message and brand.

However, there is much more to us than labels.  Hence, the birth of this blog.

This space allows us to add a personal touch to our product and engage with you, our valued customer and dedicated reader.  What can you expect from us?  Articles about green living.  Top 5 lists.  Humorous observations.  Giveaways, contests and sales.  And who knows what else we’ll be sharing with you.

So welcome, join in the conversation and visit our store when you get a chance:  lowlowcostlabels.com

Cheers!