Here’s what you need (same as regular eco bags): smooth, preferably non-glossy paper, watered-down white glue, a dowel or similar object for smoothing, and a rag to keep things clean. That’s it!

The original pages I used are 28 x 37 cm. and the finished bag is 29 x 14 x 10 cm.

Start out by making double sheets of your paper so it’s stronger, just like you did for regular eco bags (photo in link). Run a line of white glue all around the edges, then do a diagonal line. Place the second page on top, and run the dowel over both pages to smooth out. Make at least two of these, or two for each bag you plan to make (each bag takes two double sheets, plus two more single sheets for the handles).

Be sure to keep the two sheets lined up perfectly for this step. Choose the width you want the bag to be, and make a fold down the right hand side, smoothing *lightly* with the dowel.

Then fold back along that first fold, and smooth lightly with the dowel. Next, make a small fold down the left hand side of about one inch (not quite as wide as the double fold on the right hand side), and smooth lightly with the dowel.

Now separate the two sheets, flip the top one over horizontally (like you’re turning the page in a book), and glue the narrow left hand flap of the lower sheet to the edge of the top sheet. Do the same on the other side, and smooth both sides lightly with the dowel. Keep in mind that the edges are moist with the glue, and if you run the dowel across them with too much pressure, the paper will break (see below).

Now you should have a little pocket. Flatten the pocket, and open up the left hand pleat. Measure its width with your dowel. Keep your finger at that point on the dowel.

Now take that measurement and place it along the bottom edge of the pocket. Make a fold *substantially less* as that measurement. This is especially important in the long, narrow bags. If you make the fold too wide, you’ll have problems in the next step (just re-fold if it’s too wide).

Now fold the corners up to the main fold like, little flaps. If the flaps overlap each other, the main fold is too wide, and you’ll need to re-fold here.

Now open up the little pocket, and fold in the sides, smoothing along the diagonal corners of the little flaps. This part can be tricky. Practice patience at this step. Now flatten the whole thing down. This step can be difficult if previous folds were not made precisely.

Now, glue just the two little triangles on the first flap (it can be top or bottom, it’s the same) and fold up. Smooth down with the dowel, and hold this for a few seconds so it dries well.

Then glue the last two triangles, as well as the top edge of the flap, and fold down. Smooth with the dowel, and hold once more for a few seconds so it dries well.

Smooth well with the dowel (*lightly* because it’s all really moist at this point).

Now make a fold of a little less than an inch along the top edge of the bag, and smooth well with the dowel.

Open up the bag, and fold the edge inside. Close the bag once more, and smooth the edge with the dowel. Now you’ve got a bag!

Follow the steps on the previous eco bag post to make the handles.

Enjoy!

If anyone out there starts making these, please drop in with a comment below, and/or send a pic! Would love to see results!

I always have a general feeling of weirdness during the hot and humid month of December in Buenos Aires, where summer technically begins on the 21st but really feels like it started back in November (and I just don’t associate Christmas with heat). The fact that it’s so hot means that “real” Christmas trees are out of the question. Everyone down here has an artificial tree.

Which leads me to the question I ask myself every year, as I miss the smell of a real Noble fir in the living room: how un-eco is a real tree? Luckily, I don’t have the moral dilemma down here of having to choose between real or fake (that decision was already made for me, though we won’t have a tree of any kind in our apartment this year).

Still, it’s on my mind. One of my favorite memories of Christmas as a child is the smell of that tree whenever I walked into the house during the holiday season.

My argument is always that the trees that are harvested for the holidays are farmed just for that purpose. Generally, people aren’t barging into natural forests and sawing down pines for the holidays. And these are all trees that, if it weren’t for the American custom of having a real Christmas tree, wouldn’t be planted at all. So, in my perspective, thanks to the holiday tree industry, there’s all these extra trees being planted each year that are doing their turn in producing oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, absorbing pollutants such as carbon monoxide, and all those other great things that trees naturally do (there’s a cute little slide show on the importance of tree planting on About.com).

Anyway, is that really good enough? Or should we stop this altogether?

There’s a great article at Scripps News that reminds us that artificial trees do not biodegrade. Which we all knew, but of course…they last for years, but not forever, and at some point someone’s going to throw them out. Most fake trees are also produced in China, so the whole idea of buying locally is out of the question. They are generally made of PVC and, contrary to common belief, are apparently not fireproof.

The Scripps News author also states that “In 2008, 45 million new Christmas trees were planted in tree farms across America.” That’s WAY more than I would ever have guessed, and of course those 45 million trees are dedicated to doing all that good stuff I mentioned earlier. In another article, the author states that “just one acre of Christmas trees produces enough oxygen to support eighteen people.” Way to go, trees!

The National Christmas Tree Association has a full website devoted to the topic of natural trees, including a myth busters page that hopes to dispel concerns regarding the purchase of “real” trees. You can take that all with a grain of salt, but it’s still pretty much the same information I found all over the rest of the internet. And a lot of it involves some basic common sense as well.

So anyway, if I could choose between fake or real, I’d definitely go with real, though the best options probably include:

• Decorating an existing potted tree or plant in the home
• Buying a tree with roots and planting it after the holidays
• Renting a traditional Christmas tree ($135 USD for a 6-7 foot tree)
• Composting a real tree after the holidays are over 
• Grinding up the tree in a chipper and use the chips as mulch in the garden

If you’re reading this in the northern hemisphere and have a “real” tree at home for the holidays, enjoy it! And please find some way to recycle or re-use it once January 1st comes around.

They are super cute for gifts, wine, etc. And are so quick and easy to make! I will be posting either a step by step explanation in photos, or some kind of video…shortly. They’re a great way to reuse newspaper and magazines. They’re colorful, and fun!

So I am rushing to get three loaves done to deliver tomorrow afternoon after my painting class. I am planning to add some samples of muffins I made over the weekend so she can survive until I have the time over the weekend to do a real batch of something sweet. (AND figure out costs, because this whole alternative flour and healthy baking thing is much more expensive than the traditional wheat/sugar option).

Still trying to figure out the best long term wrapping solution. I got some brown paper this afternoon, and little cards to explain what’s in each loaf, but I’m really disturbed about not being able to come up with a more ecological wrapping option. Someone recommended magazine pages, but I don’t read magazines. Hm. Any ideas are welcome.

I found myself thinking about a site map for my baking this morning. Sometimes, I think I tend to get ahead of myself. I get one bread order, and I’m already planning a whole website!

Anyway, back to baking. I have to check on my last loaf.

“I do not have to follow the trends so I don’t care about eco hotels.”

HELLO? What about the environment?