 | Easter TimeIt is traditional to give Easter cards, eggs and flowers around Easter time. Unfortunately, these gifts also create a lot of waste. Here are some different ideas for Easter gifts, which also benefit the environment too.  * Instead of buying flowers, buy a plant from your local garden centre - it lasts longer! * Send a E-Easter card. Check out this website for some freebies. www.free-greetingcards.co.uk/easter_greeting_cards.htm * Recycle your cardboard and foil from your chocolate eggs. Cardboard can be used to help make your compost. * For low packaged or organic eggs go to www.naturalcollection.com * For luxurious chocolates that come in a pretty recycled box, check out www.rococochocolates.com * For an alternative gift, œ15 can buy 20 chickens for farmers in developing countries. www.sendacow.org.uk * WWF have gifts for all occasions, including Easter. Check out www.wwf.org.uk  For the Children - Making an Easter Bonnet What you need: * A2 paper or a broadsheet newspaper * Yellow and green tissue paper * Selection of coloured papers and cards (you can use old birthday cards etc.) * PVA glue * Scissors What to do: 1. Take two sheets of A2 paper or four double pages of a broadsheet newspaper and divide into pairs. 2. Lay the pairs across each other in a cross shape. 3. Place the centre of the paper cross onto the head of the person whom the hat is for and press it down over their head. 4. Ask your model to place their hands on their head underneath the paper (to ensure the hat is not too tight), while you run masking tape around the outside - several times - to form the crown of the hat. 5. Remove hat from head and trim brim to desired size. Decorating the hat 1. Using PVA glue, stick yellow tissue paper to the outside of the hat and underside of the brim. Leave to dry. 2. For a grass effect, cut strips of green tissue paper and stick to brim with PVA. Leave to dry. 3. Cut out a selection of paper flowers, stems and leaves from card and coloured paper. 4. Cut out leaf shapes from green tissue paper. 5. Stick petals to stems and arrange round the crown of the hat. 6. When in desired position, stick down with PVA. 7. Glue leaves onto stems. 8. Cut out more small flower shapes in matching colours and stick around the brim.  Bird's Nest What you need: * Plastic food containers, 8 and 15cm diameter * Elastic bands * Twigs and grasses * Unbleached greaseproof paper or tissue paper * Scissors * Ribbon * For large nest: 2m of narrow brown ribbon (4 colours each 2.5mm wide) * For small nest: 1m of 4x2.5mm ribbon in orange green, yellow and red * Easter chicks What to do: 1. Place two strong elastic bands around a 15cm diameter circular plastic food container (the container needs to have flattish sides, otherwise the elastic bands won't grip). 2. For the smaller nest, use an 8cm diameter container and only one elastic band. 3. Cut twigs of differing thickness and dried grasses into varying lengths (these need to be longer than the height of the container). 4. One by one, carefully place the twigs side by side underneath the elastic bands. Ensure that the twigs are close together so that the plastic underneath is hidden, but do not squeeze in too many or else the elastic band may snap or slip, sending the twigs flying! 5. Place grass or bamboo leaves between the twigs to create a feathery effect. 6. Tie ribbon (approx 1m) around the middle of the nest to hide the elastic bands. 7. Scrunch unbleached greaseproof paper or brown tissue paper, and put into nest. 8. Fill with a variety of small Easter eggs, sweets or biscuits and some Easter chicks. Source: www.ivillage.co.uk/parenting/school/schfun/articles/0,,186624_627660-1,00.html |
Easter Day
It's that time of the year again. Its been a pretty cold and gloomy winter, so here at the Junkk.com Towers we are looking forward to Easter as it really symbolises spring. As many of you know, Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus 3 days after his crucifixion. Many people now feel that Easter like many other important days of the year has become over commercialised, and this in turn goes hand in hand with creating more waste. Easter Day doesn't have to be about unwanted packaging and waste. It is quite easy to give and receive gifts that have a low impact on the environment. We have a few suggestions that may just give you some inspiration to have a greener spring.
Alternative Cards
Why not make a card using scrap material around the house? Not only is it more fun than buying a card, it is also cheaper and more thoughtful too!
Eco Friendly Cards have a range of handmade cards made from recycled materials. Check out the featured Easter Card below of the nice little chick:
www.ecofriendlycards.co.uk
Moon Dragon Card provides a range of cards made from sustainable materials and are also free from chemicals such as bleach. Check out their range here:
www.moondragoncards.com
And lastly, and we always suggest this: send an e-card! Check out
www.myfuncards.com
Alternative Gifts
World Vision provides a range of alternative gifts in their catalogue. You can send anything from sheep, organic crop production, solar panels for a clinic, a fish farm, to a heard of goats! Check out the website here:
www.greatgifts.org
Okay so you still want an Easter egg this Easter? Well check out Green and Blacks. They produce great tasting organic and Fair Trade chocolate. So you may feel guilty about your waistline, you won't feel as guilty about the impact on the environment. Check out the website below:
www.greenandblacks.com
Fancy getting away from it all over the Easter period? Well check out Natural Discovery, which provide alternative more sustainable breaks where you can stay in green accommodation providing a range of difference experiences. Check out the website:
www.naturaldiscovery.co.uk
Alternative Activities
Easter holidays are an ideal time to spend time with the family. To keep the children busy with a few of these alternative activities if they get bored.
Easter Egg Dyes
Painting eggs is an Easter tradition. Why not try natural homemade dyes instead? Check out this website which can provide instructions on how to make homemade dyes and how to paint your eggs:
www.thegreenguide.com
Easter Basket Idea
Make your own Easter baskets. This can be done in a number of ways. Here is one example to get you started:
Step One
Find a decent sized empty tissue box. Cut the top off, and trim the sides. If you use the square size, the only thing you'll have to do is colour the insides if you want to make it look prettier, punch three holes on the centre of two sides and attach a piece of ribbon (or whatever else you have around the house) for a handle.
Step Two
You need to make three holes otherwise it will be too flimsy. Glue the ribbon to the inside of the basket on the bottom, and then bring it out through the first hole, in the second and out the third one near the top.
Step Three
If you use the rectangular size, cut it in two and slide the two pieces together to make a square basket, trimming as necessary. Glue the pieces together, and then finish as with the square basket. You can then add your gifts to it. (Source: Frugal Living.com).
Tuna Can Bunny Rabbit
You will need for this: a tuna can (or alternative). Some scrap material, markers, glue, paper, and some cotton ball.
Step One
Cut a piece of scrap material to cover the outside of the tuna can, and glue it in place.
Step Two
Use your imagination, paper, scrap material, markers, and anything else you want to decorate the can to look like a bunny. Glue on the cotton ball for the bunny's tail.
Step Three
Once finished, let the glue dry, and then fill will goodies. Maybe handmade chocolates?
For further craft ideas check out these websites:
www.happy-easter.com
www.allcrafts.net
Further information
Got any Easter tips you want to add to the forum? Check out the forum thread here (you need to be registered first):
Easter Tips
Do you feel that Easter has become too commercialised? Do you feel that it has a negative impact on the environment? Add your thoughts to the forum here:
Easter - A Waste?
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