Top 10 ideas of what to do with your empty party box when the party is over

Rather than recycling your box by placing it in the bin on rubbish collection day, you can use your party box in the home.

Here's a Top 10 list of creative and practical ideas to make the most of your eco party box.

1) Use it as a bin - when clean up time comes you can store all the plates, cutlery, decorations and food scraps in the box and take it home to bury for your garden.
2) Create your own treasure chest - fill it with things that are special to you. Make it look beautiful by gluing onto it buttons and beads, old photos, magazine pictures and newspaper articles, shells and stones, feathers, flowers, gum nuts and leaves, place beautiful material at its base like organic cotton or organic felt.
3) Make a puppetshow theatre - cut out the bottom of the box and stand it on its edge to make a "stage." Make sock puppets by stuffing unused socks with toilet paper and drawing faces on with colorful markers. Present a puppet show to all the living room audience members.
4) Build models of houses or whole towns - If you have other boxes draw doors and windows on them and use your party box to be part of a playroom city.
5) Make a cardboard race car - turn the cardboard box into a speedy racer! Use other cardboard or just paper for wheels. www.makedo.com.au can help.
6) Baby mobile - Cut out the cardboard into animal shapes and paint appropriately, use sticks and string to hang it from the roof above your baby's cot.
7) Wall animals - Cut out designs from the cardboard and have the children paint them to make pretty wall designs for their room.
8) Desktop/office organiser - use the box to store paper or use it as an in tray.
9) Packaging for a present - draw some pretty pictures on the outside of it and place your next party present inside of it to reduce wrapping paper waste.
10) Worm food - use it as compost in your garden. The cardboard for our boxes is biodegradable and compostable and it can be used in your compost bin.

See our other blog posts:
Eco Party Ideas
Eco Friendly Ideas For a Winter Party
Eco Friendly Easter Ideas

Winter Eco Party Ideas

Have a bad taste party - use Mum and Dad's old clothes!

Now that you have some idea of how to throw an eco birthday party (see HERE for a check list) you might need some inspiration on how to do it in the winter months.

If your child has a birthday in the middle of the year then the outdoor party options are usually limited because you don't want to risk bad weather ruining the day. If you cannot find an appropriate venue with good indoor and outdoor facilities in case of a cold and rainy day then you are most likely going to keep the party inside where it is warm and dry.

The eco options for invitations, presents, party bags and birthday candles never have to vary for the seasons but for an event held in winter you may wish to adapt the party food, party games, party decorations, party theme and the venue to suit the weather.

To make your winter party memorable the focus is likely to be on the theme, so that even in lousy weather the children can still have fun. It doesn't have to reflect everything eco but the more you are able to re-use and recycle the better for the environment it will be.

1) An indoor Beach Party: Give the house a beach theme. Make paper cut-outs of clouds for the walls, use cardboard for the waves by cutting them individually to give a layered feel. Use cardboard to make fake surfboards which you can lean against the walls and leave some beach balls lying around for the guests to kick around. Lay beach towels around the floor for guests to relax on. Bring the sand pit inside by placing the sand on a tarpaulin or make fake sand by tearing up strips of yellow paper. To add to the mood you can make a fake bonfire by twisting up red and yellow biodegradable crepe paper and cellophane and placing it on a pile of sticks on the floor.

Food: Use an Esky filled with ice to serve all the bottled drinks into a biodegradable cup. Use cardboard and paint to make the table look like the front of a beach kiosk and give out all your party food from there.

Games: If you've made an ocean with cardboard so that waves rise up at the top then make small cut-outs of small surfers and tape then to the back of the waves. Give guests biodegradable balloons, fill them with water and see who can knock the surfers down.

2) A Bad Taste Party (for the Adults) This is all about looking as bad as possible and is great if you want to reuse and recycle old clothing. Its also one everyone is sure to remember.

The more your friends cringe, the better. While Norman Gunston, the guys from Dumb and Dumber and Les Patterson are the perfect example of a how to dress and behave in bad taste, really anything which was fashionable in the 60s, 70s and 80s would likely be appropriate. Look through your parents old photo albums to get some inspiration. ;) Sleazy suits, comb-overs, far too much make-up, messy faces, gold chains and hairy chests are all suitable.

Decorations: Decorate the house in the tackiest style you can. Hang toilet paper from wall to wall instead of streamers, use garbage bags instead of balloons to decorate the room (for eco friendly ones use Biobags). An easy way to decorate is to hang tacky framed pictures and old album covers on the walls. The local Op Shop is likely to have all this.

Food: Try serving food that might taste great but look unappealing. Sandwiches can be touched up with a bit of green organic food dye for fake mould. You can also offer really standard food like mashed potatoes, peas and brussell sprouts. For bowls of nuts buy a cat litter tray, fill it with crushed peanuts and pine nuts for fake litter. Scatter chocolates across the tray.

Party Games: Offer a prize for the most poorly dressed guest. You can also challenge the guests to eat disgusting food or you could even hold a messy race to see who can eat the fastest.

3) A Colour Party: You can hold a colour party for your child's favourite colour and ask everyone to dress in that colour or you can ask guests to dress from head to toe in their favourite colour.

Decorations: Biodegradable Balloons and biodegradable, cotton or felt bunting is a must for a Colour Party! Try to get as many eco decorations for the day as you can. Felt party hats and crowns in different colours also great. Bold and bright colours are best.

Food: Serve natural and organic food that’s as colourful as you can find/make. To colour the food buy some organic food dye or you can make it yourself using the differently coloured vegetables. This is ideal if you’ve chosen a specific colour for the day. Fruit is perfect if arranged in bowls of each colour - grapes, bananas, strawberries, oranges, blue berries and apples can be used to arrange a picture upon the table.

Games and Activities: Organic face paints are a fun way to add to the colourful mood. (Learn how to make your own HERE) Be sure to have enough to go around so no one is left out.

Colour Wheel: Before the party make a colour wheel by cutting out a large circle of cardboard and painting it with each colour in sections. Make a hole in the centre and fix it to another piece of cardboard by using a golf tee. A second golf tee can be fixed at the top to be used as a marker. On the day, draw fun tasks from a hat or bag and give the wheel a spin. Anyone wearing the colour that the wheel stops on has to perform the task. The sillier the tasks the better the game will be!

What does each colour mean?: If everyone dresses in their favourite colour share some information about why they chose it.
Red is Beautiful, Powerful, Strong, Pioneering, Friendly, Warm, Initiating, Persistent, Patient, Attractive, Originating, and Passionate; Orange is Spontaneous, Bold, Daring, Inspirational, Outrageous, Robust, Funny, Fearless, Adventuresome, Building, and Buoyant; Yellow is Happy, Cheerful, Astringent, Intelligent, Shining, Highly Communicative, Expressive, Logical, Purifying, Orderly, and Forgiving; Green is Secure, Safe, Expansive, Sharing, Open, Flexible, Connecting, Free, Just, Balanced, Harmonious, and Efficient; Turquoise is Clear, Fresh, Focused, Youthful, Imaginative, Transformational, Clean, Sensitive, Changing, Rarefied, New, and Victorious; Blue is Tranquil, Calm, Peaceful, Honest, Trusting, Creative, Open, Deep, Faithful, Reliable, and Accepting; Purple is Regal, Respected, Admired, Humble, Intuitive, Knowing, Together, Dignified, Valuable, Tolerant, and Connecting; Pink is Abundant, Genuine, Responsible, Compassionate, Loving, Mature, Great, The Colour of Relationships, Considerate, Adept, Natural.

Source is HERE. For a far deeper look into this visit: www.crystalinks.com/colors.html

If going to such lengths are too elaborate for your winter party here are a few extra ideas to make the party fun and eco friendly if inside.

Decorations: For centrepieces use 100% beeswax candles. See our range HERE:
Use cellophane or crepe paper (both biodegradable) to bring colour into the home.
Hang eco friendly bunting in the rooms (you can make it yourself from old material).

Food: Make a hearty vegetable stew from organic veggies in your garden or local farmer's market. Use organic food.

Party Games:
Dog and the Bone
The children sit in a circle.
One child is the "dog" and sits in the middle with his eyes shut and a bone behind him.
A person in charge points to one of the children in the circle.
That child has to creep in and get the bone and put it behind his back.
All children put there hands behind their back and say Doggie, doggie, who s got the bone?
The dog then opens his eyes and has to try to choose who has his bone. He has two guesses.
If he guesses correctly he has another turn. If he doesn’t the child with the bone is the new dog.
The game then starts again.

Who Am I?
The children all sit in a circle.
One child is chosen to put his head down and close his eyes.
The leader then points to one of the children in the circle who says "Who am I?"
The child with his eyes closed has to open them and try to guess who it was.
If he guesses correctly he has another turn. If he is incorrect it is the child who spoke's turn.

Sleeping Lions
When the leader calls out Sleeping Lions each child has to drop to the floor and lie as still as possible with eyes shut.
Anyone that moves is out.

Balloons Up
The object of this game is to keep the balloon in the air the longest and win.
Game is played best with two people at a time so that you can have a play off at the end.
Each person bounces their balloon on their heads to keep it in the air - no hands, feet or other objects to help.
Make sure the area is large enough and clear of objects to avoid tripping over.

See our other blog posts:
Eco Party Ideas
Eco Friendly Easter Ideas

Eco Ideas for the Easter Holidays

Hooray for holidays! They are here again and the Easter period is one of the best – lots of public holidays and time to enjoy the children.

Here are some eco inspired ideas for parents who want their children to enjoy the simple things in life over the holiday period. Some are best for inside days, while others are more suited to the warm weather.

The Cold Days
• Cubby Houses and Dens – position some chairs to make a circle and then place some blankets over them to create a fun secret hideout in the lounge.
• Cleaning Day – involve the children in your cleaning. Get them to help you clean the windows and floors, do the dusting, sweeping and polishing. It may not be the most thorough job but it will keep them busy.
• Washing Day – it may be the clothes, the dishes or the dog.
• Dress ups – get out the costumes or use Mum and Dad’s clothes for some role-playing fun.
• Craft – grab the glue, sticky tape, all sorts of paper, cardboard and other colorful left over pieces to create a masterpeice!
• Drawing/Painting – pencils, wax crayons, waterbased paints, chalk – if you have a spare wall at home let the children add their colourful design to it – they’ll feel like Michelangelo even if it isn’t a Picasso.
• Beeswax Modeling – is the best stuff to use. Warm it to mould different shapes and use nuts, leaves, bark and other things fallen from your local neighbourhood trees to make something special. Let your imagination run wild.
• Playdoh – you can make your own and there are plenty of recipes on the internet.
• Puppet Shows – dress up some socks with buttons, beads and other material and create a story.
• Sewing and Felt Making – children can make some really simple yet wonderful things, like pouches or bags and the colourful eco friendly felt really stands out.
• Jam Making – if you have lots of fruit like figs and don’t know what to do with them look for a recipes on the internet or some old cookbooks hiding in your cupboard.
• Baking – bake some biscuits or a cake from scratch or do it the easy way and get a pre-made mix.
• Dolls/Teddy Bear’s Picnics and Tea Parties – invite the gang round for a cuppa.
• Shop Play – pick up some really useful toys and books or even imaginary bargains from your local lounge room.
• Painted Easter Eggs – boil up some eggs and get the paint out to make some beautiful basket fillers for Easter.
• Dyed Easter Eggs – there are many natural ways to do this. Click HERE to read a great article.

The Warm Days
• Planting Day – get some seeds, find some dirt, dig a hole and get back to nature.
• Backyard Picnics – cut up some fruit and small finger food and enjoy some fun in the sun.
• Backyard Camping – get the tent up, start the campfire and maybe even sleep under the stars.
• Sand Play – hide toys in the sand pit for the children to find or just let them create something fun. Pots and pans are a great addition to any sand pit.
• Fairy Gardens - create a magical space in the corner of the garden and get ready to believe.
• Treasure Hunt – hide toys in the garden for the children to find.
• Kite Flying – let wind power create some fun. You can even make your own kite without too much fuss. Crepe paper, string, glue and some sticks.
• Rope Play – use it to climb or have fun skipping.
• Climb Trees – keep an eye on them, but this is a real nature activity every child should enjoy.
• Mud Pies – make some messy fun.
• Bubble Blowing – children are enchanted by bubbles floating through the garden.
• Water Fun: sprinklers, paddle pools, water barrels and sailing boats.
• Games – hopscotch, marbles, simple card and board games as well as some fun party games like Simon Says or hide and seek.
• Woodworking – parental guidance is advised, but there is no readon they can’t help you cut up some wood, hammer in some nails and make anything from a doll’s house to some doll’s furniture. Keep a tub of wooden offcuts handy.
• Shell Finding – take a trip to the local beach to find some shells to decorate the home or even homemade birthday cards with.

• Other ideas: swimming, forest walks, berry and fruit picking, visiting the playground and stick races in the local creek.

I hope these simple but universally popular ideas (apart from the cleaning and washing perhaps) are helpful.

Have a great time inviting nature to your holidays.

Hooray for Earthgreetings and dirtgirlworld.

We are very excited about our recent additions - eco invitaion and greeting cards - created on 100% post consumer waste and using only vegetable inks in the printing process!

Heidi from Earth Greetings really captures the beauty of Australian animals in all of her original designs.

In 2003 Heidi decided to try out this creative business idea - publishing her nature-inspired designs on to greeting cards.

Needless to say it was a tough slog - but her ethics and determination never wavered and now Earthgreetings cards are sold all over Australia.

We love her My Earth selection of cards and invites, the bright and colourful wrapping paper and her new dirtgirlworld range. And the best thing is Earth Greetings they use a carbon neutral printer, vegetable inks, 100% post-consumer recycled paper and minimal packaging. (Visit www.earthgreetings.com for more info). See our range of her stock on our website: for cards click HERE, wrapping paper HERE and invitations HERE.

Her dirtgirlworld range is terrific too. It is created in Australia by producers and musicians Cate McQuillen and Hewey Eustace (mememe productions) and screens in over 100 countries.

We now include dirtgirlworld invitations, cards and a music CD as part of our eco extras as well as a dirtgirlword themed eco party box.

Dirtgirlword is an exuberant celebration of life in the big world outside, dirtgirlworld has a contemporary, underlying environmental message – to explore the natural world. The musicentric series invites the audience to “go get grubby” with dirtgirl, a gumboot-wearing girl who grows awesome tomatoes, knows cloud names and drives a big orange tractor.

The show features characters who live sustainably and in tune with nature; following the seasons, caring for their gardens and friends, building what they need from what they find, and conserving resources. These characters also take time out to daydream, gaze at the stars and find wild places.

(Visit www.dirtgirlworld.com for more info).