Hasta La Ideas

Options for conscious giving this holiday season

Keeping things green is always a festive way to go, so minimize the impact of your gift-giving this year with these eco-friendly options from our 2011 Gift Guide.

Plumen Light Bulb Set

These energy-efficient alternative bulbs provide a fun variation on the incandescent standby. They look great exposed, so there’s really no need to shade.

Presso

This low-impact espresso maker works faster from start to finish (read: more efficiently) than most electric machines take to warm up. Simply add boiling water and push down for the perfect cup of espresso.

PACT Men’s Socks

Since socks seem like an inevitable inclusion on any gift list, why not pick ones that are quirky, colorful and knit in Turkey from soft organic cotton in a green factory running on wind power. The makers of these stockings are striving for positive change in the world, one snazzily outfitted foot at a time.

Bamboo Original Bottle

Sleek and well-insulated, this portable water bottle won’t infuse water with the harmful chemicals that come from certain plastics and metals. Plus, the handsome eco-friendly vessel keeps coffee and tea nice and hot.

Intelligent Nutrients Certified Organic Destress Express

This certified-organic kit by Aveda founder Horst Rechelbacher delivers Intelligent Nutrients’ calming essential oils efficiently and tastefully. The diffuser dispenses the aromas silently and without the use of heat to create a purely calming natural sanctuary.

Nau Stainless Steel Pint Cups

The always sustainably minded designers at Nau have teamed up with Klean Kanteen to make an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic Solo cups. Made with food-grade stainless steel, they’re perfect for camping, hiking or even use at home.CH readers can enter a special promo code CHNAU20 to receive 20% off of the set of four pint cups.

The Repurposed Library

Give old tomes new life with this guide to DIY book projects, which helps you convert worn hardbacks into functional works of art.

Grow Bottle Hydroponic Herb Gardens

Hand-crafted from recycled wine bottles these hydroponic kits are simple and self-contained, letting herbs flourish inside even the most cramped kitchen space. The basil, mint, chive and other herb systems are washable and re-useable with refills.

Our interview with the creative mastermind behind Paris’s most fantastic holiday installation

When Printemps invited us to Paris to interview Karl Lagerfeld about his designs for their holiday windows, we jumped on the opportunity. During our brief time with the cultural icon we talked about holidays, process and his abundance of creative resources. Just in time for the season, we present our latest video featuring the man who doesn’t care about holidays at all.

New iPad covers inspired by the classic manila envelope

This holiday season Poketo will launch a series of new tech accessories, including a sleek polyurethane iPad case that caught our eye. Harkening back to the heyday of snail mail, the envelope shape closes with a classic string-and-button fastener and is available in rust, gold, gray and black.

Despite the proliferation of snap cases and sleeves, the safest way to guard your tablet remains a full-coverage case with a secure closure like the envelope’s. Plus, the unisex aesthetic and subdued color palette of the Poketo will surely appeal to any design-minded iPad owner on your gift list.

Poketo’s envelope iPad case is available on their e-shop for $48. Their new holiday line also includes a two-tone recycled leather iPad case for $64 and polyurethane three dot iPad case for $48.

Watercolor illustrations combine Wes Anderson style with wildlife and folklore

Brooke Weeber‘s delicate, darkly humorous watercolor-and-ink illustrations are one
part Wes Anderson, one part Edward Gorey. Fantastical wolves and deer roam freely
through pastel-tinted clouds and trees, sharing space with bearded strongmen and booze. Though the Northwest native admits that she’s a huge fan of Anderson, she cites Greek and Native American art as her primary influence.

“I love the simple line figures painted onto vases and sewn into tapestries, and the use of geometric shapes and patterns [in Greek and Native American art],” says Weeber. “They also show an obvious appreciation for the natural world.”

Weeber studied fine art at the University of Oregon, but moved to New York shortly after graduation to exercise her artistry in a completely different field—cake decorating. After four years on the East Coast, she began to miss the wildlife that plays such a prominent role in her illustrations and moved back to Portland. “Once I was more acclimated, I started to really appreciate the amazing things that New York had to offer—the culture and diversity alone is much harder to find in Oregon,” reflects Weeber. “But alas, in the end, the chaotic lifestyle wasn’t for me.”

Besides illustrating album covers for local luminaries such as Blitzen Trapper and Loch
Lomond, Weeber shows her work locally and sells it through Etsy. Her fruits and
vegetables calendar is a beautiful and practical guide for anyone who likes to eat locally and shop at farmers’ markets but has no idea when figs are actually in season. Her “Animals of the Pacific Northwest” print might also reassure anyone who has been duped by the latest crop of teenage vampire romances; werewolves are not endemic to this corner of the United States.

Prices range from $4 for a greeting card to $50. For more of Weeber’s work, check her website or her
Etsy shop.

Seven everyday options that double as halloween costumes

For those who prefer comfort over the whole-nine-yards costumes—or if you’re just looking to save some cash and effort this holiday—we looked to our favorite jackets and other everyday clothing to double as your get-up. Intended as inspiration, why not turn the below frog costume into a pea-in-a-pod? The black down poncho-slash-coat could just as easily be a black cat too.

Baseball Player

Everyone needs a great transitional jacket, and Nike’s Hybrid Destroyer is just about as versatile as it gets. Pair it with a few pieces of baseball paraphernalia for a major league costume this Halloween. The jacket sells from 6pm for $96, Starter’s Wiffle ball Snap back for No Mas goes for $30, Homage‘s fitted ball cap and tribute to the legendary Woody Hayes sells for $40. Round it out with the Japanese Nokona Buckaroo Series for $200 from Ball Glove Warehouse.

Detective

Clothe your crime-fighting alter ego with Zara’s new hooded trench. A great fall investment for inclement days, it also doubles as a Halloween costume to channel any favorite detective. (Inspector Gadget is our gumshoe of choice.) Complete the look with a wool fedora, magnifying glass and pipe. The double-breasted trench sells for $190 at Zara, the Borsalino hat goes for $350 at J. J. Hat Center and the vintage magnifying glass sells for $250 from Gilai Collectibles. For a touch of humor, slap on a classic fake mustache.

Bunny

As if you needed a holiday to wrap the wee one in this adorable bunny sweatshirt— Talc’s critter hoodie adds both warmth and charm this Halloween—all it needs is a carrot for the full effect. The zip-front sweatshirt sells for $78 at Sweet William, with the toy carrot for $7 at Toy Boxes.

Frog

There’s no chance of trick-or-treating chills with a down onesie from Patagonia. Pair it with a foam frog mask for the cutest amphibian in town. The Patagonia Infant Down Sweater Bunting sells online for $130 and the foam mask can be picked up for $8.

Rainbow

For a Halloween costume that combines retro Rainbow Brite with supreme functionality—not to mention relatively high performance potential for a pair of flamboyant footwear—the North Face Gotham boots do the trick when worn with any candy-colored coat or clothing on top—bonus points for a hat and scarf. The boots sell for $120 from The North Face and the ultra-light down jacket can be found for $80 at Uniqlo stores. Check MoMA for the scarf ($48) and hat ($35).

Witch

The Nau Down Stole works not only for a fall-to-winter shift, but across costumes as well. When paired with a vintage broom and a custom satin peak hat, the jacket morphs itself into a nice, warm witch’s cloak. It’s $230 at Nau. Add a vintage broom ($48) or one from your kitchen and throw on a customizable satin witch’s hat, for $24.

Bat

There’s also something bat-like about the Stole, making it the prime top layer for a slightly creepy costume. Accessorize with a bat masquerade mask or, our favorite, the Batstache.

Contributions by Karen Day, Ami Kealoha, Kelly O’Reilly, Greg Stefano and James Thorne