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Friday, December 30, 2011

New Year's Eve: Decorating for the Environment and for Fun

Ahh, the new year. Out with old, in with the new....wait, hold up just one minute!  You know me better than that, don't you?  If you're hosting a party this New Year's Eve here are a few ideas for greening up the festivities, and I guarantee you'll find an idea or two where the old is just as good as new.

I'm not sure where the tradition of little flecks of debris falling from the sky came from but if you're planning on tossing confetti at the stroke of midnight, consider these options:

1.  Grab the neighborhood kids, several hole punches and some old magazines and let them make your confetti for you.  It's free, it's upcycled and it can be swept up and tossed right into the recycle bin the next morning.
2.  If you're opposed to child labor, are short on time and absolutely must have confetti look for the store bought kind that you can recycle.  No plastic and no tissue paper styles here.
3.  You could also consider dropping balloons when the clock strikes twelve.  Latex balloons are certainly easier to clean up and, once popped, they can be tossed right into the composter.

And what's a party without party blowers??  You can use this tutorial from Martha Stewart but change it up a bit to incorporate reclaimed papers; think magazine paper, leftover paper from scrapbooking projects or maybe some heavier weight leftover wrapping paper.

No party is complete without the party hat.  You can use the pattern for this hat and get creative with your decorations.  No need to make your hat look like the picture, color outside the lines and use whatever upcycled embellishments you can get your hands on. 

However you choose to celebrate, have fun and stay safe.  We'll see you right back here next year!

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