Eco Conscious Holiday Gift Guide

‘Tis the season to be conscious. Conscious of where money is being spent and what exactly it is buying. Eco Conscious shopping can become complicated since it has a different meaning to each consumer. My trick for headache free, stress free eco friendly shopping is shop local and shop small. By shopping local you are supporting your local economy which is always a positive. It what you are looking for isn’t available locally, consider shopping small. Small businesses value the uniqueness of their handcrafted products, and always appreciate the business.

If you are wondering how shipping a product just to shop small is eco friendly, consider that many small businesses source their materials locally rather than importing. Read the about page or reach out to the small business to find out how their product is eco friendly and if they use recycled materials when shipping.

Need help getting started? Here are a few Orange County local small businesses that incorporate eco friendly approach into the making of their products.

Hogan's Goat's cashmere accessories made from repurposed vintage cashmere sweaters

Molly of Hogan’s Goat repurposes vintage cashmere sweaters into hats, scarves, pillows and throws. As a fellow vintage lover, Molly started giving new life to sweaters by creating her own patterns and putting every piece of the garment to work. She uses turtlenecks to create scarves, sleeves to make wrist warmers and any scraps stuff plushies. I loved the way she used textured pieces for her berets. They are soft, warm and a great accessory for winter.

I Must Draw cards on recycled paper and repurposed wool stuffed animals.

Knowing that recycling fabrics is the responsible thing to do, Desiree of I Must Draw decided to upcycle wool clothing into stuffed animals. By repurposing wool fabrics she is able to create unique toys that are one of a kind, as well as eco friendly. Desiree also designs whimsical greeting cards that are printed on 100% recycled paper. I have a feeling her woodland creatures would approve.

Greenleaf Avenue Candles come in vintage glassware

Vintage glassware is always so unique. It comes in different colors, shapes and sizes. Sara of Greenleaf Avenue Candles fills beautiful vintage glassware with her handcrafted soy candles. Upcycling vintage glassware not only gave these pieces new life as candles, but the glassware can be reused after the candle has burned down.

Handmade Heatherly repurposed cardigans

No one loves cardigans more than me. When I recently spotted Handmade Heatherly cardigans at a craft show, I thought she had a great upcycling idea. Heather takes thrifted cardigans and gives them new life by adding lace collars, pockets, elbow patches, stencils and fabric paint, pop poms and anything else she finds to be cute. “When you’re thrifting it really is like a treasure hunt looking for the perfect pieces, the pieces you’re meant to have or find,” Heather explains.