It’s that time of the year again when you’ve got to decide whether or not to order holiday cards. Personally I get sad every year receiving fewer and fewer cards in the mail. There’s nothing quite like coming home to a full mailbox of holiday greetings and warm messages from friends letting me know how their year went. E-cards just don’t hold the same weight, literally and figuratively. Living in a time where e-mails are replaced by short tweets or Facebook messages, it’s often easy to forget how nice it can be do get a real card in the mail.

If you do send cards out this year, we recommend choosing a company that gives back. Not to toot our own horn, but Paper Culture plants a tree in your honor for every order.  If you want to skip the gift-giving this year, plant a tree for someone instead with a beautifully designed card. Now’s the best time to shop with a final sitewide sale of up to 50% off. There are many other companies that give percentages of the cards to charity. Choose a card design that reflects your style and personality. Consider adding a recently holiday photo. And most importantly, add a few lines of holiday cheer to let your lucky recipient know you’ve been thinking about there. Here’s to a happy and safe holiday season for all!

We recently showed you our favorite DIY paper masks for Halloween. But what if you have a newborn and don’t want to throw away money for a costume on year zero? Fortunately all you need to celebrate the holiday with your newborn is an old onesie, a scrap of fabric, and some. Check out Rachel Low’s costume templates to turn any onesie into a fun costume. You can even increase the pattern size with your printer and make a matching sweatshirt to wear out trick-or-treating.

Our favorite is the skeleton template, complete with a little heartbeat. Or choose between a jack-o-lantern or ghost for more fun. You can use either a simple thread and needle to sew the pieces on, or, if you’re like most new moms, extremely pressed for time, fabric glue works just as well. And if you have artistic inclinations, you can turn any white onesie into a costume. Imagine drawing a Frankenstein or witch’s face with fabric pens. Don’t stress out this Halloween. Just find 20 minutes to spare and you’re ready to go.

With 85% of textile waste going to landfills every year, Halloween can have a devastating effect on the environment. While it’s tons of fun to pick out a costume and dress up, any family can make a night of crafting DIY costumes, and avoid creating unnecessary waste. Look around for wornout clothes, old sweats, or too-small garments. Many of today’s costumes can be made by hand if you have a sewing machine. Or if you truly want to make something easy, consider making an easy paper mask to wear on top of a colorful outfit. Paper masks can be tons of fun for kids and adults to wear. There are lots of sites that offer outlines for you to print out. Just color them in, add some sequins and glitter and you’re ready to go.  For masquerade style, glue it onto a stick, or for easy-wear just add an elastic band.

The great site Cool Mom Picks has rounded up their favorite online patterns. There are six fright-ready choices available at Mr. Printables, including a black cat, jack-o-lantern, skull and spider. They’re free to download. The patterns can also be used to make longer-lasting felt masks. The cutest patterns online are hands-down Wee Society’s DIY Wee Alphas, which are free cutouts that can be pasted onto a brown paper bag. These little bags are the complete costume. Choose between an owl, lion, fox and gorilla. For a more fancy option, Etsy store Shades of Every Color offers digital downloads for $3.99 each. Choose between full-color printouts of a peacock, owl, or deer. And if you’re feeling inspired, just take out some cardboard and markers and get to work.

Can a candy bar really be considered healthy? Probably not. But everyone needs a treat now and then. And if you’re going to go down the candy aisle, bear in mind that there is a whole range of candy options from not-so-bad to pure chemical junk. You might as well go for something with minimal junk. Yet when it comes to getting a sugar fix, we don’t always have time to go to the health food store to pick up a favorite like chocolate-covered organic almonds. One company is trying to change all that: Unreal.

Enter Unreal candy, a new company that mimics our favorite treats, such as peanut M&Ms, Milky Way bars, Snickers, or Reese’s peanut butter cups. But these versions are “unjunked,” made without corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial ingredients, GMOs, or preservatives. And on top of all that they have a low glycemic index. Your kids won’t even be able to taste the difference. But what is really revolutionary is Unreal candy will be available in stores nationwide. It’s currently in stores  like CVS, Kroger, Michaels, Ralphs and Staples and will soon be available at Target. That’s 30,000 stores coming soon. Here’s to a slightly healthier Halloween!

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, the time of the year to honor the woman who gave us the most. Bamboo Wall Art makes a great Mother’s Day present. Just choose your favorite photo of you and mom and upload. Customize with a variety of sweet designs. In addition to bamboo’s wide-ranging green qualities, Paper Culture plants a tree with each order, so it’s a win win. Click here for details. But perhaps you want to go even more DIY and make something from scratch for mom. Here are some easy ideas that will be sure to put a smile on her face.

Breakfast in Bed.

We love this recipe for easy blueberry vanilla pancakes from the BBC. Add a few scoops of ice cream or whipped cream? Why not. It’s Mother’s Day after all. Pair with real maple syrup and fresh fruit. When it comes to breakfast in bed, presentation is everything. Cover the tray in fresh flowers or add a few momentos that you know are particularly important to mom.

Decorative Boxes.

Speaking of mementos, these easy-to-make fabric boxes are a gorgeous way to store any keepsake. All you’ll need is a box, fabric, glue, scissors and decorations. Choose fabric in colors mom loves. And be sure to put a few of your favorite family photos in the box to get the collection going.

Homemade Beauty.

For some reason exfoliating scrubs are one of the most expensive things to buy, but one of the easiest things to make. Literally all you need is oil, sugar (or salt) and scent. Whip up a quick and fun body scrub, throw in some natural essential oils and package it in a mason jar with a beautiful ribbon. Make a few different kinds and surprise mom with a small beauty basket.

I digress. It turns out that the cute little wine glasses are made in France by Duralex and called “Picardie.” The stackable glasses are well used for wine, tea or espresso with a drop of milk. They have been in production since 1927 with virtually the same elegant design. In 1939 Duralex introduced tempering, which means that the glass is basically unbreakable unless you have polished concrete floors.

Voila! I suddenly realized that these glasses, which make me want to visit Paris in the Spring, are great for kids. I got a set of the “Gigogne” tumblers and love them. I admit that plastic cups are a god send for parents. But they are either full of BPA, or are BPA free, but could be full of some other non-regulated toxin. The Duralex glasses are both BPA and PVC free. I feel better having my daughter drink out of a glass. And I feel better knowing that when she drops that glass; I will be cleaning up juice or water and picking up a glass.

The joy in all these videos is infectious. And I think it’s so sweet that the children and dads are laughing at the simplest things. I only wish we could have so much fun with our fathers every day!