Sunflower Place Card

A simple sunflower clipping makes a bold statement when used as a natural summer place card.
Photo: Martha Stewart

Eco Vase Filler

A scoop of richly colored coffee beans is all you need to creatively fill any vase. An arrangement of pretty pastel-hued flowers will really pop when contrasted with the deep brown beans.
Photo: The Knot

Archive Love: Farm Fresh Favors

Help support local agriculture by offering your guests seasonal produce, such as beautifully colored heirloom tomatoes, as favors. For a farm stand feel, arrange the produce in large baskets so that guests can take their time sorting through them. You can also supply guests with eco-friendly burlap bags, which they can use to carry home their produce, and then use again after your party.

Photos: Brides

Lemon Leaf Table Runner

Here is a pretty way to freshen up a spring party! Create an easy, compostable DIY runner by spreading vibrant green lemon leaves down the center of your table. Complete the look by nestling several bright yellow lemons throughout the leaves.
Photo: I Do It Yourself

Kid-Friendly: School-Themed Party

As the school year winds to a close, celebrate your child's academic achievements by hosting a school-themed party! Glass mason jars filled with beans (or other compostable fillers) can house classic #2 pencils. Keep things informal by lining tables with sheets of Kraft paper and encourage the kiddies to doodle!
Photo: Snippet & Ink

A Fresh Centerpiece

Add a bit of cheer to a winter celebration by creating clean and crisp citrus centerpieces. A simple glass bowl filled with lemons, tangerines or other citrus fruits is a simple and cost-effective way to create colorful centerpieces year-round.

Photo: Martha Stewart

Charming Woodland Table Numbers

There is no need to over think creative eco place card options thanks to this simple DIY idea. Simply secure homemade tags made from twine and recycled cardstock onto thick pieces of fallen branches in order to create charming one-of-a-kind table numbers and place cards.

Photo: Ruffled

Edible Cones

When in search of storage for small favors, rather than purchase paper cones, which will more than likely end up in the trash, organize your treats in edible waffle cones. Fill each waffle cone with small tasty favors, such as roasted nuts. Rest one cone at each place setting for an inexpensive and relatively waste-free favor option that is just as simple as it is sweet.

Photo: Food Network

Cranberry Ice Cubes

Add some festive color to your holiday bar display without the need to add extra waste. Sprinkle loose (compost-friendly) cranberries in your ice cube trays prior to freezing. Once frozen, fill all your ice buckets with these very merry ice cubes for an extra pop of holiday cheer.

Photo: Country Living

Cranberry Place Cards

There is no need to waste tons of money (and resources) in order to add a splash of festive color to your holiday table setting. Handfuls of cranberries (which can be cooked or composted after serving a decorative use) offer beautiful bursts of red to any tabletop. Fill small glasses and votive holders with cranberries as well as simple handwritten notes for instant holiday place cards. For an added pop of color sprinkle loose cranberries down the center of your table or around your holiday centerpiece.

Photo: Country Living

DIY Eco Ornaments

Create a unique holiday tree with these quick (and compostable) DIY ornaments. First, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gather a variety of citrus fruits – including oranges, lemons, tangerines, blood oranges, grapefruits and the like – and cut into thin slices (be sure to discard any seeds). Spread the slices across the baking sheet and bake until they are dried out (about two to three hours), being sure to flip the fruit every half hour. Once the ornaments are completely dry and cool, pierce them with paper clips or ornament hooks.

Photos: Whole Foods & Whole Living 

Nostalgic Ornaments

Put old seed packets to good use this holiday by transforming them into colorful eco-friendly ornaments. Don’t have any lying around? Look to online retailers and local botanical gardens for vintage seed packets that contain unique heirloom seeds (as well as beautifully nostalgic artwork). Come January consider putting the packets aside until the warm weather months when the seeds can be added to your garden.

Photo: Martha Stewart

Jelloware

If you’d like to use earth-friendly disposable dinnerware at your next party but would still like to keep things stylish you’ll love this innovative new “jelloware.” These disposable cups are made from agar agar and are cast in unique flavors such as lemon-basil and rosemary-mint. When the cocktails are gone guests can nibble on these flavorful cups and toss any remains in the compost bin.

Photos: The Way We See the World

Natural Seating

When hosting an outdoor affair offer your guests casual, eco-friendly seating options. Create a rustic outdoor aisle with bales of hay. To ensure your guests’ comfort drape crisp quilts, sheets or tapestries across each bale.

Photo: Once Wed

A Greenhouse Celebration

Get an extra daily dose of veggies by creating a casual greenhouse-inspired party. Reused aluminum cans filled with small edible plants are all it takes to make a vitamin-rich table setting. 

Photo: Once Wed

Happy Autumn!

As the warm weather slowly shifts into a cool breeze take the time to visit local farms and have fun with a harvest-full of new design inspiration! A simple basket filled with “smiling” gourds is a great way to bring a bit of happiness to your guests at your first autumn festivity. Enjoy the season!

Photo: Martha Stewart

Cheers!

Some events, such as weddings, call for a celebratory “Cheers!” If you’d like to greet a new couple or a new year with confetti be sure to release something eco into the air. Offer guests adorable corked test tubes filled with birdseed or wildflower seed or eco-friendly cones filled with fresh daisy or rose petals. 

Photos: Brides & 100 Layer Cake

Natural Leaf Coasters

Why purchase synthetic coasters when you can use natural ones instead? The next time you visit your local florist, ask him or her to order you a stack of natural banana leaves. The leaves, which are large enough to fit most drinking glasses, mugs and stemware, will add a touch of tropical flair to your table setting. Photo: Martha Stewart

Disposable Dinnerware

For casual parties eliminate access waste by swapping conventional paper plates with biodegradable or compostable plates, bowls, cups and cutlery. These earth-friendly disposable dinnerware options are made from renewable resources, such as bagasse (a sugarcane fiber that remains after the juice has been extracted from sugarcane plants), corn and ingeo (a natural plastic made from renewable resources). Companies like Branch Home even carry biodegradable party kits, which include sturdy FDA-approved biodegradable tableware products, with service for 50.

Photo: Branch Home